NAIROBI, Kenya – Chances for Kenya’s candidate for the African Union (AU) Commission chairperson candidate, Raila Odinga, clinging to the seat appear to hang in the balance after a governance analyst poured cold water on his bid.
While appearing on Citizen TV, Ahmed Hashi, a governance analyst, claimed that the escalating crisis in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is likely to cost Raila’s AUC chairperson bid.
“I also want to point towards the crisis in the DRC, which is also going to affect the AUC chairperson elections because you know the Congolese burnt down the Kenyan embassy and trashed it in Kinshasa,” Hashi said.
Why the DRC crisis impedes Raila Odinga’s AUC chairperson bid
According to Hashi, Rwandese President Paul Kagame, who is part of the East African Community (EAC), doesn’t believe in the ongoing discussions in the Great Lakes.
“Ethiopia came out yesterday saying that they are not clear about Raila. To nail the coffin in North Africa, Raila went to Egypt with the president, and he was given a red carpet treatment, and right after that, Egypt endorsed the Djibouti candidate,” Hashi added.
AU 46th Session of the Executive Council of Foreign Ministers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia x.com/i/broadcasts/1…
Against this backdrop, Hashi says that Raila is facing an uphill task ahead of the Saturday, February 15, 2025, polls in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
“I believe that even the candidate from Madagascar is going to line for Djibouti because they are also from the Francophone group. I believe that our candidate has a very tough time; I believe he is going to lose in the second round of voting,” said Hashi.
During the elections, Raila is expected to square it out with Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar.
How the AUC chairperson elections will be conducted
The upcoming elections for the new chairperson of the AUC will occur during the next annual summit of the AU’s heads of state and government.
In mid-December 2024, the three candidates participated in a two-hour debate in Addis Ababa.
Ahmed Hashi – Governance Analyst: The crisis in the DRC will impact the AUC elections. It’s an uphill task for Raila Odinga, and I believe he will lose #CitizenDayBreak @AyubAbdikadir
They all advocated for two permanent seats for African countries in the U.N. Security Council to effectively represent the continent with the youngest population.
Raila said that two permanent seats with veto power were “a must for Africa” and that this was “only fair” since the continent has more than 50 countries.
The African Union has several proposed reforms on its structure and leadership to achieve its purpose, and all candidates promised to implement the reforms if elected.
