Botswana now behind Raila's AUC chairmanship bid, Ruto says after meeting President Boko
This comes hours after Tuesday's endorsements where Ruto announced that President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo and Equatorial Guinea Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue had declared their support for Odinga's bid.
President William Ruto has announced that Botswana has endorsed Raila Odinga's bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship ahead of the February elections.
The announcement comes after Ruto met with Botswana's recently elected President, Duma Boko, in Ghana.
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"President Boko pledged his support for Hon. Raila Odinga's African Union Commission chairperson bid," Ruto posted Wednesday on his X account.
This comes hours after Tuesday's endorsements where Ruto announced that President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo and Equatorial Guinea Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue had declared their support for Odinga's bid.
Meanwhile, Odinga was in Mauritius on Monday where he was received by Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam after the withdrawal of the nation's former foreign minister, Anil Gayan from the race in November 2024.
Raila Odinga's bid has so far garnered widespread support across the continent with countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Burundi, South Sudan, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, and Algeria already behind him.
He needs a minimum of 36 votes to emerge victorious in the first round of what is expected to be a tightly contested race.
The February 2025 elections will see Odinga competing against Djibouti's Foreign Affairs Minister, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, and Madagascar's former Foreign Affairs Minister, Richard James Randriamandrato.
All three candidates participated in the Mjadala Afrika Leadership Debate on December 13, 2024, held at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. During the event, they presented their visions and policy priorities to the African public ahead of the elections.
