Subject: Breaking News: H.E. ZUMA WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION AS CHAIR OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION, STEPPING DOWN IN JULY 2016
 | Ending the speculation on her next move, the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will not run for re-election when her term expires in July 2016, her spokesman, Mr. Jacob Enoh Eben confirmed on Thursday March 31, 2016, saying "AU Commission Chair Dlamini-Zuma didn't submit an application for a second term when the deadline closed on Thursday, 31 March."
The decision comes in the background of bets that she will be a contestant for the leadership of the governing African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa and become the next president of the country. There are other contenders to replace her former husband, H.E. Jacob Zuma, who is stepping down as ANC leader next year and South Africa's president in 2019.
Who will succeed H.E Dlamini-Zuma to the four-year, two-term post in Addis Ababa will be decided at the next AU Summit in July 2016, which will take place in the Kigali, Rwanda. The official list of candidates is expected to be revealed later this month.
The betting has thrown the spotlight on Algeria's Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra as an early favorite. He was a former AU Peace and Security Commissioner. Word also has it that the SADC block will like to see Botswana's Foreign Minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, ascend to the chair. She is a woman, a fact that sent some, including women groups in the Diaspora, hoping for what one described as "gender balance" in an AU dominated by men leaders from Member States.
However, voices in Pan African corridors are also rooting for Mr. Lamamra, citing Algeria's solid record on Africa's liberation and continued leadership as a crucial factor.
Whatever report card the outgoing chair receives, she elevated the AUC position to a potentially powerful and visible platform to articulate African priorities in the global arena and set the ball rolling with Agenda 2063 on Africa's future.
The high profile presence, availability to constituencies, and continuation on Agenda 2063 are vital and can be improved by the next chair.
|
| | | | |
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue Early archives at
http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html ---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to
usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit
https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment