With just three days to go until the highly anticipated African Union Commission (AUC) chairperson election, a major shift has emerged as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has officially thrown its support behind Madagascar’s candidate, Richard J. Randriamandrato.
This presents a significant setback to Kenyan candidate, former Prime Minister minister Raila Odinga, who has been seeking support from Southern African nations.
In a letter shared on social media, SADC Executive Secretary Elias M. Magosi urged the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to support Randriamandrato in the upcoming election, in line with the resolution to back a candidate from the region for senior AU leadership.
“You may recall that in its August 2024 meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe, Council directed the SADC Committee of Ambassadors in Addis Ababa to monitor the AUC senior leadership election process, provide guidance after the shortlisting, and encourage member states to support SADC-region candidates,” as stated in the letter.
The letter emphasized that, following Mauritius’ withdrawal of candidate Anil Kumarsingh Gayan from the race, Randriamandrato remains the sole candidate from the SADC region, therefore encouraging the recipients to support his candidacy.
“We have since learnt that Mauritius has withdrawn her candidature, leaving Madagascar as the only Member State from the SADC region to compete for the position,” the letter read.
The SADC member states include:
- Angola
- Botswana
- Comoros
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mauritius
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
This last-minute unified backing from SADC could significantly impact the election’s outcome, potentially challenging Odinga’s bid for the AUC chairmanship.
Scheduled for February 15 and 16, the election sees the former premier competing against Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti and Randriamandrato from Madagascar, both strong contenders.
The veteran Kenyan opposition leader has been actively campaigning for the position, touring the continent to garner support from various heads of state. However, his efforts in Southern Africa have faced setbacks, including his inability to secure a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa in January.
SADC’s collective endorsement of Randriamandrato deals a major blow to Odinga’s bid as he faces an uphill battle in rallying enough votes to secure the AUC chairmanship in the little time remaining.
