Assembly of the African Union
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The Assembly of the African Union, which is formally known as the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government (AU-AHSG), is one of several decision-making bodies within the African Union. The other bodies are the Pan-African Parliament, the Executive Council consisting of foreign ministers of the AU members states, and the African Union Commission. The Chairperson of the Assembly has few formal functions, the most important of which is to preside at the Pan-African Parliament during the election and swearing in of the President of the Pan-African Parliament.
History of the Assembly
The Assembly came into existence on 25 May 1963, as part of the ratification of Organization of African Unity (OAU). Initially the Assembly consisted of 32 independent members, the heads of state of the African states that had achieved independence by 1963. Until 2001, the governing constitution of the Assembly was the OAU Charter. The Assembly is now subject to the Union Act that created the African Union.
Members of the Assembly
The AU Assembly of the Heads of State and Government consists of the 54 heads of state and government of the member countries, the Assembly meets once a year at the AU Summit. The current Chairman of the Assembly is President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
The current members of the AU-AHSG are:
Member State | Representative | Title | Member since | Photo |
---|---|---|---|---|
Algeria | Bouteflika, AbdelazizAbdelaziz Bouteflika | President | 27 April 1999 | |
Angola | José Eduardo dos Santos | President | 10 September 1979 | |
Benin | Boni, Thomas YayiThomas Yayi Boni | President | 6 April 2006 | |
Botswana | Khama, IanIan Khama | President | 1 April 2008 | |
Burkina Faso | Kafando, MichelMichel Kafando | President (Acting) | 18 November 2014 | |
Burundi | Nkurunziza, PierrePierre Nkurunziza | President | 26 August 2005 | |
Cabo Verde | Fonseca, Jorge CarlosJorge Carlos Fonseca | President | 9 September 2011 | |
Cameroon | Biya, PaulPaul Biya | President | 6 November 1982 | |
Central African Republic (Suspended member) |
Samba-Panza, CatherineCatherine Samba-Panza | President (Acting) | 23 January 2014 | |
Chad | Déby, IdrissIdriss Déby | President | 2 August 1990 | |
Comoros | Ikililou Dhoinine | President | 26 May 2011 | |
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kabila, JosephJoseph Kabila | President | 26 January 2001 | |
Republic of the Congo | Denis Sassou Nguesso | President | 25 August 1997 | |
Côte d'Ivoire | Alassane Ouattara | President | 4 December 2010 | |
Djibouti | Ismail Omar Guelleh | President | 8 May 1999 | |
Egypt | Abdel Fattah el-Sisi | President | 8 June 2014 | |
Equatorial Guinea | Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, TeodoroTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo | President | 3 August 1979 | |
Eritrea | Afewerki, IsaiasIsaias Afewerki | President | 24 May 1993 | |
Ethiopia | Desalegne, Haile MariamHaile Mariam Desalegne | Prime Minister | 20 August 2012 | |
Gabon | Ali Bongo Ondimba | President | 19 October 2009 | |
The Gambia | Jammeh, YahyaYahya Jammeh | President | 22 July 1994 | |
Ghana | Mahama, John DramaniJohn Dramani Mahama | President | 24 July 2012 | |
Guinea | Condé, AlphaAlpha Condé | President | 21 December 2010 | |
Guinea-Bissau | Mário Vaz, JoséJosé Mário Vaz | President | 23 June 2014 | |
Kenya | Kenyatta, UhuruUhuru Kenyatta | President | 9 April 2013 | |
Lesotho | Thabane, TomTom Thabane | Prime Minister | 8 June 2012 | |
Liberia | Johnson Sirleaf, EllenEllen Johnson Sirleaf | President | 16 January 2006 | |
Libya | al-Thani, AbdullahAbdullah al-Thani | Prime Minister | 11 March 2014 | |
Madagascar | Rajaonarimampianina, HeryHery Rajaonarimampianina | President | 25 January 2014 | |
Malawi | Mutharika, PeterPeter Mutharika | President | 31 May 2014 | |
Mali | Keïta, Ibrahim BoubacarIbrahim Boubacar Keïta | President | 4 September 2013 | |
Mauritania | Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz | President | 5 August 2009 | |
Mauritius | Jugnauth, AneroodAnerood Jugnauth | Prime Minister | 17 December 2014 | |
Mozambique | Nyusi, FilipeFilipe Nyusi | President | 15 January 2015 | |
Namibia | Geingob, HageHage Geingob | President | 21 March 2015 | |
Niger | Issoufou, MahamadouMahamadou Issoufou | President | 7 April 2011 | |
Nigeria | Jonathan, GoodluckGoodluck Jonathan | President | 6 May 2010 | |
Rwanda | Kagame, PaulPaul Kagame | President | 24 March 2000 | |
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic | Abdelaziz, MohamedMohamed Abdelaziz | President | 22 February 1982 | |
São Tomé and Príncipe | Pinto da Costa, ManuelManuel Pinto da Costa | President | 3 September 2011 | |
Senegal | Sall, MackyMacky Sall | President | 2 April 2012 | |
Seychelles | Michel, JamesJames Michel | President | 16 April 2004 | |
Sierra Leone | Ernest Bai Koroma | President | 17 September 2007 | |
Somalia | Hassan Sheikh Mohamud | President | 6 September 2012 | |
South Africa | Zuma, JacobJacob Zuma | President | 9 May 2009 | |
South Sudan | Kiir Mayardit, SalvaSalva Kiir Mayardit | President | 9 July 2011 | |
Sudan | Omar al-Bashir | President | 16 October 1993 | |
Swaziland | Mswati III | King | 25 April 1986 | |
Tanzania | Kikwete, JakayaJakaya Kikwete | President | 21 December 2005 | |
Togo | Gnassingbé, FaureFaure Gnassingbé | President | 4 May 2005 | |
Tunisia | Beji Caid Essebsi | President | 31 December 2014 | |
Uganda | Museveni, YoweriYoweri Museveni | President | 26 January 1986 | |
Zambia | Lungu, EdgarEdgar Lungu | President | 25 January 2015 | |
Zimbabwe | Mugabe, RobertRobert Mugabe | President | 31 December 1987 |
Functions of the Assembly
The Assembly has nine basic functions:
- set policies of the Union.
- decide on what action to take after consideration of reports and recommendations from the other organs of the Union.
- consider membership requests into the Union.
- create bodies for the Union.
- monitor the implementation of policies and decisions of the Union as well ensure compliance by all Member States.
- create a budget of the Union.
- provide direction to the Executive Council on conflicts, war and other emergency situations and the restoration of peace.
- select judges for and withdraw judges of the Court of Justice.
- appoint the Chairman of the Commission, Commissioners of the Commission, all respective deputies and determine how long they will serve and what duties they will perform.
Decisions of the Assembly
The Assembly shall take its decisions by consensus or, failing which, by a two-thirds majority of the Member States of the Union. However, procedural matters, including the question of whether a matter is one of procedure or not, shall be decided by a simple majority.
Two-thirds of the total membership of the Union shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Assembly.
The Assembly may delegate any of its powers and functions to any organ of the Union
See Also
European Council, the European alternative.
External links
- Assembly of the African Union Official Site
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