Four candidates vie for OIF secretary-general post
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on AIP
Four candidates are in the running to lead the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) from 2027 to 2030, including incumbent Louise Mushikiwabo. The election is scheduled for 16 November 2026 in Phnom Penh, with consensus sought first and a majority vote if that fails, according to a statement sent to AIP.
Four candidates are in the running for the post of secretary-general of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), with the election scheduled for 16 November in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, during the 20th Francophonie Summit, according to a statement sent to the Ivorian Press Agency. The candidates are Coumba Ba, of Mauritania, Dacian Cioloș, of Romania, Juliana Lumumba, of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and outgoing Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo, of Rwanda, who is seeking a new term for 2027-2030.
The vote will fully apply for the first time the Single Rules of Procedure of the Francophonie institutions, adopted in March 2022. The procedure provides for a call for candidates, the presentation of candidates’ programmes and their hearing before ministers of member states, with priority given to seeking consensus. If no agreement is reached, the candidate receiving the most votes among members present and voting will be elected, according to AIP.
The Summit will bring together the 90 member states and governments of the Francophonie on 15 and 16 November around the theme “Reinvesting in peace for shared prosperity and lasting stability”. A Phnom Penh Declaration and a resolution on crises and peacebuilding are expected at the end of the proceedings. Cambodia will host the summit for the first time, nearly three decades after the one held in Hanoi, Vietnam, according to AIP.
The election comes after French President Emmanuel Macron proposed postponing the vote and Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi refused, as reported on 10 November. The summit is due to open on 15 November in Phnom Penh, as announced in the Francophonie Summit.
