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Election Watch: the Race for African Union Top Posts – ECDPM

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Election Watch: the Race for African Union Top Posts – ECDPM Making policies work BRIEFING NOTE No. 124 Election watch: the race for african union top posts Political Economy Dynamics of Regional Organisations in africa PEDRO By Luckystar Miyandazi and Philomena Apiko November 2020 The year 2021 holds great promise for the African Union (AU) leadership, marking the first elections for the AU Commission (AUC) positions since the Union’s reform process began in 2017. The election is, therefore, a stress test for the new recruitment, selection and election process for the incoming AU Commissioners as well as ensuring the key principle of gender parity. This brief discusses the role that the AU’s institutional management reforms will play in the upcoming elections – especially when it comes to meeting the key requirement of gender parity. The election process began in September 2020, when AU member states submitted their list for candidates to be nominated to the AUC. The incumbent Commission’s Chairperson, H.E. Faki Mahamat, is also up for re-election, although this is not an automatic guarantee: he will need a two-thirds majority vote to keep his post. The new rules require the top AU leadership to display gender parity, requiring that if the AUC Chairperson is a man, his Deputy should be a woman – and vice-versa. Most of the candidates for the role of Deputy AU commissioner are women (five out of eight) but, to date, no woman has held this role. However, only 29% of the total nominees for the position of the six AU commissioners were women, with only eight becoming part of the twenty-five candidates who made it to the final shortlist – ringing, once again, the alarm bell on the need for gender parity in the AUC election process. The composition of the next AU commission will play a pivotal role in shaping and implementing Africa’s continental policy priorities for the next four years. Acknowledgements 2017. It will also be the first AUC election since the Assembly adopted the recommendations of the 2017 This background paper is part of ECDPM’s African Kagame Report on AU institutional reforms (Kagame Institution and Regional Dynamics work on the 2020). The election is therefore, something of a stress ‘Political Economy Dynamics of Regional Organisations test for the AU reform process. The role to promote in the time of COVID-19,’ (PEDRO II). It builds on gender balance will be under particular scrutiny, not earlier works conducted under the Political Economy least as the way the process is unfolding may mean Dynamics of Regional Organisations (PEDRO). In line the gender rule has a decisive role in some of the key with ECDPM's mission to inform and facilitate EU- positions. Africa policy dialogue, and financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, The AUC performs the AU’s executive functions of BMZ. Further information about previous related coordination, facilitation, and liaison with member projects can be found at www.ecdpm.org/pedro. states, regional bodies, and increasingly external partners. Thus, it is critical that its leadership is fit for The authors are grateful for the valuable input from Dr the task. Even more important is that the next AUC Bruce Byiers for the comments and insights received leaders have the full backing and support of the AU on the paper. Thanks to Valeria Pintus and Yaseena Assembly, made up of the Heads of State and Chiu-van't Hoff for their support on the graphic Government of AU Member States: the leadership and design. Thanks also to Virginia Mucchi, Inna Perova legitimacy of key states and champions helps and Carlotta Maria Paschetto for editing and layout determine which agendas are implemented and how work. (Byiers et al. 2019). This goes as much for internal institutional organisation, continental agendas, and Any errors remain the sole responsibility of the interaction with Regional Economic Communities authors. The views expressed do not reflect those of (RECs), as for presenting Common African Positions ECDPM or BMZ. For comments and feedback please and establishing partnerships outside Africa get in touch with Luckystar Miyandazi (Miyandazi 2016). The elections will therefore also ([email protected]) and Philomena Apiko have implications for the AU-EU partnership (Byiers ([email protected]). 2020) as well as new external partnerships with countries such as the United States of America, China, Turkey, India and Japan (Madueke 2020). Introduction The AU Assembly elects the AUC Chairperson for a four-year term, renewable once (AU 2020a). The last Elections around the world and in Africa have been election, held in January 2017 appointed H.E. Dr getting a lot of attention of late. With further Moussa Mahamat Faki1 from Chad as the new presidential, legislative and referendum elections due Chairperson of the AUC, and H.E. Mr Thomas Kwesi in Burkina Faso, Ghana, the Central African Republic, Quartey from Ghana as the deputy.2 2021 will be the Niger and Somalia in the coming weeks, less attention fourth year of their first terms, thus requiring fresh is being paid to another election under preparation - elections for these positions and those of the six that of the African Union (AU 2020). At the commissioners who ensure the smooth functioning of forthcoming 34th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AUC. the AU in January/February 2021, all African Heads of State and Government will cast their votes for the next leaders of the AU Commission (AUC). Specifically, This paper discusses how the AU’s institutional they will choose the Chairperson, and the Deputy management reforms will affect the upcoming Chairperson, the two key positions within the AU. This elections, especially in meeting the key principle is the first AUC election that will include all 55 requirement of gender parity, and what the new Member States of the AU, since Morocco rejoined in leadership may mean for EU/AU relations. In doing so, 1 the paper underscores the importance of the new AU geographical regions (North, South, West, East and commission leadership to be elected in 2021 in Central) to support the AUC in developing and shaping and implementing Africa’s continental policy revamping its recruitment system (AU 2019). The AU priorities for the next four years. assembly also established a Panel of Eminent Africans, including one per AU geographical region (AU 2018). The panel developed the profiles and competency From institutional reforms to requirements for the Commissioners and prepared the shortlist for each position based on the approved transparent elections criteria (AU 2020b). An Administrative Reform Roadmap has also been established to make the In 2016, African leaders agreed on the Institutional recruitment of AUC staff more efficient and Reform of the AU as an urgent process to, among transparent (AU 2018a). Though according to the AUC other things, enable the AU to better steer the Statutes the list of candidates for the two top posts continent towards achieving Africa’s Agenda 2063 and Commissioners are circulated to the Member (AUC 2015). His Excellency Paul Kagame, President of States at least three months before the election (AU Rwanda was mandated to establish an pan-African 2016), this was extended to ten months in 2018, as advisory committee of nine experts to assist him in the part of the above reform process. Amendments AU process.3 They reviewed and submitted proposals for a Articles of Statutes of the Commission are expected to system of governance for the AU and released a reflect this (AU 2018). report in 2017, endorsed by member states. Amongst other things, they recommended reforming the Election is by secret ballot with the winner requiring a structure of the Commission to be leaner and more two-thirds majority of votes from Member States efficient, and revising the AUC election processes eligible to vote.4 If no candidate achieves a majority, (Kagame 2020). In particular they recommended according to the AUC Statutes (AU 2002), the changes to the selection process for Commission Chairperson should, in consultation with the leadership (Kagame 2017). This included making Chairperson of the Executive Council, appoint one of recruitment of the Deputy Chairperson and the Commissioners to act until a new Commissioner Commissioners more competitive, taking account of has been appointed in accordance with the Rules. gender and regional diversity, enhancing the However, past experience suggests the sitting managerial responsibilities of the AUC Chairperson commissioner stays in post and elections are and reviewing the structure and staffing needs of the suspended until the next session of the Executive AUC. Council and a new list of candidates is proposed. A new round of voting would then take place at the next Various recommendations have already been AU Summit, held once a year with extraordinary implemented. One of these is to establish clearer sessions as thought necessary. This has happened in terms of selection for each position in the AUC, guided the past when H.E Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of by five key principles. These are (AU 2018): South Africa was chairperson. 1. equitable regional representation and gender The 2021 AUC elections: a second-term for H.E. parity; Dr Moussa Mahamat Faki? 2. predictable inter and intra-regional rotation; 3. attracting and retaining Africa’s top talent; At the end of August and early September 2020, 4. accountable and effective leadership and countries and regions nominated candidates for the management; and transparent and top AUC posts. From that list, current chair H.E. Dr 5. merit-based selection. Moussa Faki Mahamat seems set to be re-elected: in fact, he is the only candidate that has been nominated To follow-up on this decision, a team of ten for the position. Nonetheless, the former AU recruitment experts was appointed from the five AU Ambassador to the United States, H.E.
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