Africa

AUC Chair race hots up as Seychelles endorses former VP to succeed Moussa Faki

Seychelles former Vice President and Foreign Minister Vincent Meriton. (Photo: Seychelles News Agency)

By Amina Wako | Thursday, May 16, 2024

Meriton also held various government portfolios, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Health and Social Affairs, Information Technology, the Blue Economy, and Entrepreneurship Development.

Seychelles on Wednesday endorsed the candidacy of its former Vice President and Foreign Minister, Vincent Meriton, for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC), adding to the list of East Africans vying for the seat.

He now joins Raila Odinga from Kenya, Fawzia Yussuf from Somalia and Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti, who are all angling for the top job at the AU as the August 15 application deadline approaches.

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A dispatch from the Foreign Affairs Department in Victoria, the capital port city, affirmed their full support for Meriton's candidacy in the upcoming February 2025 election.

Throughout his political career, Meriton held various government portfolios, including Minister for Foreign Affairs, Health and Social Affairs, Information Technology, the Blue Economy, and Entrepreneurship Development.

He served as Vice President during Danny Faure's presidency from 2016 to 2020.

Meriton, according to Victoria is renowned for championing Seychelles' stance on the Blue Economy on the global stage.

"The core objective of Meriton as chairperson of the AUC is to significantly improve the implementation rate of the Commission's executive decisions by addressing barriers to implementation and promoting accountability and compliance," stated the Department.

The chairperson of the Commission is elected by the Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once.

If elected, Meriton will succeed Moussa Faki Mahamat from Chad, who has held the position since 2017.

Seychelles, a French and English-speaking Island state, is located off the coast of East Africa and seems to be targeting both the Francophone and Anglophone blocs in the continent.

The archipelago is a member of both the Commonwealth and the Francophonie.