On Tuesday, Algeria secured a seat on the African Union's Peace and Security Council, representing the North African region for a three-year term. The country succeeds Morocco, which held the seat during the previous mandate. The victory came in the third round of voting, where Algeria garnered 34 votes, defeating its sole competitor, Libya, which received 15 votes. With this result, Algeria regains a seat it had lost in 2022, five years after Morocco rejoined the continental organization in 2017. Algeria now joins Cameroon, Eswatini, Ethiopia, and Nigeria on the council, completing the 15-member body. The Council consists of five members elected for three-year terms and ten members serving two-year terms. Algeria had previously failed to win the seat during the February session after falling short of the required voting majority. The country had held a seat on the Peace and Security Council for 13 consecutive years starting in 2008, first represented by former Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, followed by Ismail Chergui. The Peace and Security Council is the African Union's main executive body tasked with overseeing peace and security across the continent. Similar in function to the United Nations Security Council, its members are elected by the AU General Assembly based on criteria such as regional balance, contributions to military and financial efforts, and adherence to standards of good governance and political stability.
