The government on Friday, February 14, dismissed the decision by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to endorse Madagascar's African Union Commission (AUC) Chairmanship candidate, Richard Randriamandrato, denting Kenya's Raila Odinga's hopes.
This came after SADC, on Wednesday, February 12, sent out a letter addressed to all the foreign ministers in the trade bloc, advising its member states to vote for Randriamandrato in the AUC election set to take place on Saturday, February 15.
Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing'oei stated that SADC's decision to back Randriamandrato was no cause for alarm for Raila's bid and termed it an "afterthought." "To our minds, we think that this letter is something of an afterthought; we think that it is mere courtesy to show the minimalist solidarity extended to a member of their region," he stated.
Former Madagascar Foreign Affairs Minister Richard J Randriamandrato addressing the sixth global meeting of the Mountain Partnership in 2022.
