Mauritius Prime Minister backs Raila’s AUC bid
Mauritius has assured Kenya of her vote for African Union Commission chairperon candidate Raila Odinga ahead of the upcoming elections in February 2025.
Raila has ceased involvement in local politics to pursue the influntial position but faces stiff competition in his quest to succeed Chad’s Moussa Faki Mahamat whose tenure will be coming to an end.
President William Ruto on Tuesday said he spoke to the newly-elected Prime Minister of Mauritius who gave him his word that the island country would vote for Raila.
The expression of support for Kenya signals that Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Mauritius candidate in the race, has dropped out.
“I have had a telephone conversation with the newly-elected Prime Minister of Mauritius, Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam. I congratulated him on his election and for the faith the people of his country have shown in him and his party,”Ruto said in a statement on his X feed.
“We affirmed the strong and cordial diplomatic ties between our two countries and peoples and committed ourselves to deepening the relations. Prime Minister Ramgloolam confirmed his support for Kenya’s candidate to the African Union Commission Chairperson, Hon Raila Odinga.””
Mauritius is island country in the Indian Ocean, located off the southeast coast of Africa, east of Madagascar.
The country’s endorsement of Raila means the race has now narrowed down to only three aspirants – Raila, Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato.
Raila faces stiff competition from Youssouf who analysts say enjoys a soft spot from Francophone countries.
Ahead of the AU elections that will take place by secret ballot, Raila has lined up back-to back campaigns in Francophone countries in a bid to woo multiple French-speaking countries to his side as the race rattles down to the wire.
A campaign calendar shared by Raila’s head of campaigns Ambassador Elkanah Odembo last week shows Raila’s first stop is Abuja, Nigeria where he would meet President Bola Tinubu.
Odembo, in an exclusive interview said the choice of Abuja was significant as it is the seat of the current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has 15 members.
Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea have, however, been suspended from the bloc because of military takeover.
Odembo said Raila would then head to Cote D’ivore, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Cape Verde as part of his vote-hunting mission.
South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana are also on the list of countries Raila plans to visit and woo to back his candidancy.
A number of issues will determine the outcome of the race, including religion and age of candidates, the Anglo and Francophone divide, Western influence and the emerging forces in the continent, such as Russia and China.
Past chairpersons have hailed from western, central and southern regions of the African Union, giving Raila an upper hand should the need for regional balance outweigh all outlining factors.
