Chairperson of the African Union

Chairperson of the
African Union
since 17 February 2024
StyleExcellency
AbbreviationCPAU
Appointerthe Assembly
Term lengthOne year
Constituting instrumentConstitutive Act of the AU (article 6)
PrecursorChairperson of the OAU
Formation9 July 2002
First holderThabo Mbeki
DeputyBureau
Websiteau.int/en/cpau

The Chairperson of the African Union is the ceremonial head of the African Union (AU) elected by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for a one-year term.[1] It rotates among the continent's five regions.

A candidate must be selected by consensus or at least two-thirds majority vote by member states. The chairperson is expected to complete the term without interruption; hence countries with impending elections may be ineligible.[2]

The current Chairperson is Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani. Both Angola and Botswana are seeking the post in 2025;[3] and the Republic of the Congo in 2026.[4]

  1. ^ "African Union Handbook" (PDF). African Union. 2014. p. 15.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ghana was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Luanda seeks to outmanoeuvre Botswana in race for 2025 AU presidency". Africa Intelligence. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-10-20. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Sassou-Nguesso aims for AU presidency in 2026". Africa Intelligence. 6 March 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-03-06. Retrieved 10 April 2024.