The African Union Commission Chairperson Election Process

Nairobi, 

Saturday, 15 February, 2025 

McCreadie Andias 

After a rigorous voting process of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) is selected. 

This is meant to guarantee the legitimacy of the chosen leader for the AU member states and the Commission. By the way, this is how the election progresses.

Voting Procedure

The election falls under a structured system where being considered the winner is possible only after the candidate fulfills some conditions. The voting process adheres to the following guidelines:

Two Thirds Majority Rule – Regarding election of its Chairperson, AU member states will make this second condition – a candidate must secure at least two thirds (66.67%) of the votes cast.

Additional Rounds of Voting – If none of the candidates gain the two thirds majority in the first round, another round of voting takes place. In each round, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and we continue doing that until one candidate receives the needed majority.

If the election finishes in the final two candidates and neither candidate gets the two thirds majority in the seventh round, the election is suspended and held in Final Round and Deadlock. New candidates have been allowed to join the election with a fresh election to be held later on. The Vice Chairperson acts as the Chairperson till one year passes and new elections are held.

AU Membership and Voting Calculations

There are 55 member states of the African Union (AU), of which only 49 states will be voting. Because a two-thirds majority is required, the required number of votes in a case where only a candidate can win it is as follows.

⅔ × 49 = 33 votes

Because votes are counted in whole numbers, there must be at least 33 votes from AU member states to count the candidate as the winner.

The election of the AUC Chairperson proceeds in a fair and democratic manner to ensure that the AU’s top leadership is selected. The process is guaranteed to allow the elected Chairperson to have a widespread support across the continent by requiring a two thirds majority. 

Additionally, multiple round system and the provisions for resolving the deadlocks add more legitimacy and stability to the leadership of the Commission.