African Union...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
leaders failed Monday to choose a new chairman for the bloc's influential executive Commission, even though at one time incumbent Jean Ping seemed to enjoy a slight lead over South Africa's Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the ex-wife of South Africa's President.
President Michael Sata of Zambia told news hounds: "We went for an election and none of the two candidates emerged as a winner."
The continent's strongest nation, South Africa has lobbied hard to see Dlami, the executive branch of the bloc since 2008.
AU sources revealed that in the voting that is going on behind closed doors on the second and final day of the AU summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, Ping was narrowly ahead of Dlamini-Zuma in the first three rounds of voting, but was short of the two-thirds majority needed for an outright win.
Dlamini-Zuma has said in a flyer, that if elected, she pledges to spare no effort in building on the work of those African women and men who want to see an African Union that is a formidable force striving for a united, free, truly independent, better Africa
South Africa said at the weekend that it was optimistic that Dlamini-Zuma, who was married to President Jacob Zuma until 1998, can defeat 69-year-old Ping, who is counting on support from French-speaking West and Central Africa countries.