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For weeks now, the appointment of the next ECOWAS president has been the subject of high-level negotiations. With little consensus concerning the potential reappointment of the President of Guinea-Bissau, his peers have been drawing up other plans. A thread ⬇️
Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who hopes to be reappointed, has lost the support of some of his regional sponsors, such as Senegalese President Macky Sall. The reason? His supposed lack of standing and his poorly-veiled criticisms of Sall's possible third term in office.
The name of the future ECOWAS president will be revealed in July at a summit in Bissau. The appointment process is carried out not by vote, but by a "consensus of peers". What's more, the position historically alternates between leaders from English and French-speaking countries.
As Umaro Sissoco Embalo's presidency followed that of Guinean President Nana Akufo-Addo, the position should now fall to a French speaker. Yet with the suspension of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea's memberships, French-speaking candidates are harder to come by.
Benin's President Patrice Talon, the longest-serving French-speaking head of state who has not yet held the presidency, seems to be the ideal candidate. Yet having taken a step back from managing diplomatic affairs, he has expressed little interest in the position.
A second option is Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, who already held the presidency in 2018. Although his inner circle is not in favour, Gnassingbé has not yet formally rejected the idea.
A third option, Nigerian President Mohamed Bazoum, may be able to achieve a consensus among the French-speaking presidents. Despite his opposition to third terms in office, the Head of State is known for his moderation and pragmatism in West Africa.
Although a previously-coveted position, the ECOWAS presidency currently seems to be a poisoned chalice—with fractures produced by internal fault lines and the emergence of military juntas.
To find out more about the various scenarios up for discussion at the ECOWAS summit in the Bissau-Guinean capital, read our free investigative article: africaintelligence.com/west-africa/20…
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