Morocco wants to hold the vice-presidency of the African Union Commission
After decades of showing no interest in occupying positions of responsibility in the African Union Commission, the Moroccan government is hoping, for the first time, to obtain an elective post in the organisation. To this end, it has decided to present Latifa Akharbach as a candidate for the Vice-Presidency of the Commission.
Latifa Akharbach is a well-known name in the fields of communication, education and diplomacy and will compete with other candidates from Algeria, Egypt and Libya in the vote that will take place on 15th February to elect the vice-president of the African Union Commission.
Balancing the balance of power
This year the five African regions are competing to place their candidates in two key posts: the Presidency, which will go to an East African country, and the Vice-Presidency, which is reserved for a North African country.
The latest reform of the African Union's governance, promoted by the President of Rwanda and the person in charge of the organisation's institutional reform, Paul Kagame, established two basic principles: regional rotation and parity.
Thus, when the person elected to the Presidency is a man, the post of Vice-President must go to a woman, and vice versa. In 2025 only male candidates have stood for the Presidency, so the Vice-Presidency will be occupied by a woman.
Given the balance of forces involved in this contest, although the proximity campaign carried out by the Moroccan candidate is perceived positively, the result of the vote is uncertain due to the new regulations that complicate the process and have certain loopholes.
According to the statutes of the African Union, the election of the vice-president of the Commission requires a two-thirds majority. The organisation officially has 54 members (excluding the Polisario Front). However, six countries have been deprived of their right to vote due to institutional changes in their respective states: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Sudan.
This changes the balance of power, reducing the number of voters to 49, which means that the winning candidate must have at least 33 votes. Faced with this situation and to prevent the Moroccan candidate from winning, it seems that Algeria is betting on an obstructionist strategy, consisting of gathering a block of 17 votes that would be enough to prevent the election of an opposing candidate.
Due to these constantly changing power relations, the vote will be complicated; especially for a country like Morocco, which has never been elected to the Presidency or Vice-Presidency of the African Union Commission. However, the Moroccan government considers its candidacy more legitimate than those of Algeria or Egypt, which have several times occupied strategic positions in the organisation, sometimes for decades.
For example, Algeria has chaired the Education Commission, as well as the Peace and Security Commission for more than ten years. Egypt, for its part, has chaired no less than eight commissions, including the Infrastructure Commission in 2017.
Although Morocco has often been accused of having hegemonic ambitions, it has not yet held a key position in the Commission. The only exception was that of a Directorate General of the African Union Commission, for which the Moroccan Fathallah Sijilmassi was chosen from a long list of candidates.
In addition to the Vice-Presidency, Morocco has also put itself forward for the Presidency of the Peace and Security Commission, which will be voted on between 12 and 13 February.
A key player in the African Union
Although Morocco has never held a top-level position in the African Union Commission, the organisation's second-highest body after the Summit of Heads of State, its economic and diplomatic weight has allowed it to play a key role in the organisation.
The Moroccan government wants this important role for the country to be recognised on 15 February with the election of Latifa Akharbach as vice-president. The Moroccan candidate is the strongest compared to the candidates presented by Algeria, Egypt and Libya
The desired election of Akharbach, president of the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HACA), would constitute a historic milestone and would mark a great advance in Morocco's role within the African Union.
To anticipate a scenario that poses an uncertain vote, Morocco has adopted the strategy of presenting only one candidate for the vice-presidency. This is a different approach to that of Algeria and Egypt, which have presented two candidates: one female and one male.
In addition to its candidacy for the Vice-Presidency of the African Union Commission, Morocco is seeking to renew its mandate within the organisation's Peace and Security Council, taking advantage of the fact that the country currently holds the Vice-Presidency of Interpol for Africa.
Who is Latifa Akharbach?
The vice-president of the African Union Commission plays a key role in ensuring the organisation's effectiveness and strengthening its influence on the international stage. A position that requires a high-level profile, capable of combining leadership, experience and strategic vision.
Morocco has chosen to present Latifa Akharbach, a candidate with a rich and varied background. Her experience has given her a great capacity to collaborate and engage with different African leaders in order to promote Africa as a strong, resilient and influential actor on the international stage.
With 20 years of experience in management roles, 13 of which were at ministerial level, Akharbach is a voice committed to the great African causes. Her career, which has led her to act as a university professor, director, ambassador and president of institutions, attests to her ability to lead ambitious projects and work for the collective interest.
Her curriculum vitae is very relevant:
- Former Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, between 2007 and 2012.
- She has held positions of responsibility at the head of national and continental institutions, which has given her solid expertise in African cooperation and multilateral diplomacy.
- She obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism in 1983; a Master's Degree in Information and Communication Sciences in 1985; and a Doctorate in 1988.
- She has embarked on a professional career that ranges from teaching at the Higher Institute of Information and Communication (1988 to 2007) to directing national institutions such as the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), which she has headed since 2018.
- She has held diplomatic posts such as that of Moroccan ambassador to Bulgaria and Tunisia.
- She is the co-author of two works on the status of women in Morocco and has been awarded on several occasions. The most recent was in March 2023, when she was awarded the Insignia of Commander of the Order of Merit for Communication in Côte d'Ivoire, on behalf of President Alassane Quattara.
Latifa Akharbach's vision for the African Union is based on four main priorities: accelerating the completion of institutional reform; strengthening the organisation's financial autonomy; improving the Commission's decisional and executive efficiency; and bringing the African Union closer to young people and women across the continent.
Close collaboration between the vice-president and the president is essential, especially in order to face the internal challenges related to human resources management and structural efficiency, in a context where most observers emphasise the urgency of an in-depth reform.
Through Latifa's candidacy, Morocco hopes to actively contribute to improving the functioning of the African Union, proposing a vice-president committed to making the organisation more effective and having a greater impact.