The African Union (AU) has elected Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, President of Mauritania, as the new Chairman for the year 2024. Ghazouani succeeds President Azali Assoumani of the Union of Comoros, who held the position in 2023.
This decision was made during the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday, February 17.
During the summit, the head of the African Union Commission expressed concerns about the political crisis in Senegal and hoped for free and transparent elections to be held soon.
This statement came after Senegalese President Macky Sall’s pledge to organize presidential elections “as soon as possible.”
The move followed the decision on Thursday by Senegal’s top constitutional body to overrule this month’s vote.
Sall’s last-minute move to postpone the February 25 poll until December triggered Senegal’s worst crisis in decades.
Sall, who has been in power in the west African country since 2012, said he called off the elections over disputes about the disqualification of potential candidates and concern about a return to unrest seen in 2021 and 2023.
“The situation in Senegal, a model country in terms of democracy, worries us to a great degree,” Faki said.