AU extends mandate for Jean Ping

African Union commission chairperson Jean Ping will retain his position until the next group meeting in Malawi.

African Union commission chairperson Jean Ping will retain his position until the next group meeting in Malawi.

Published Jan 31, 2012

Share

Addis Ababa - The African Union on Tuesday extended the mandate of its commission chief Jean Ping after his re-election, in which he was challenged by South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, was deadlocked.

“We have decided to prolong the mandate of the current commission until the next summit in Lilongwe, Malawi, later this year,” said bloc chairperson Thomas Boni Yayi, the president of Benin, at the end of a two-day summit in Addis Ababa.

Intense campaigns had preceded the vote and dominated the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital, where leaders gathered to discuss broadening trade within Africa and tackling conflict hot spots.

Boni Yayi denied claims that the deadlocked vote suggested division within the pan-African bloc.

“The continent is united and there is hope that it will continue to be united,” he said.

Gabon's Ping, 69, who has headed the African Union Commission since 2008, was seeking a new term, but was unable to obtain the required two-thirds majority in a tight race with Dlamini-Zuma, ex-wife of South African President Jacob Zuma.

“We went for an election and none of the two candidates emerged as a winner,” Zambian President Michael Sata told reporters after the vote.

Pretoria said Dlamini-Zuma will vie for the post again.

“Nothing stops us from fielding the same candidate because she has shown or proven to be a formidable candidate that the incumbent could not defeat,” South Africa's International Relations Minister Maite Nkoane Mashabane said in a statement. - Sapa-AFP

Related Topics: