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Mauritius health minister to contest for AU Commission presidency

Xinhua, September 19, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Mauritius government has decided to support the candidature of its Health Minister Anil Gayan for the presidency of the African Union (AU) Commission, an official source said over the weekend.

During elections that took place at the AU Summit in July in Kigali, Rwandese capital, the African presidents did not agree on the successor of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Since none of the two contesting candidates got the support of more than half of the member states, new elections will be organized in January 2017.

Gayan will officially present his candidature at the beginning of next year. In a brief press conference, he said his candidature "demonstrates Mauritius' interest for Africa."

Mauritius health minister since December 2014, Gayan studied at the London School of Economics after having won a prestigious scholarship from the Mauritius government. He has been elected as member of parliament since 1982.

He served as his country's foreign minister between 1983 to 1986, and 2000 to 2003. In 2008, he was part of the United Nations mediation team in Guinea Bissau.

In 2010, Gayan equally led a team of 20 African Union observers to monitor Rwanda's elections. Endit