Four candidates vying for the position of Secretary General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) will present their candidacies in a public hearing in the French capital Paris on Tuesday, June 30. The candidates are incumbent Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda, Juliana Amato Lumumba of DR Congo, Coumba Bâ of Mauritania and Dacian Cioloș of Romania. They will present presented their visions before the organisation's foreign ministers during a ministerial conference. ALSO READ: Mushikiwabo speaks out on prospects of third term at La Francophonie This will be the first time in OIF's 56-year history that candidates will be heard in a formal ceremony. According to the OIF, the new process stems from governance reforms adopted in 2022 to strengthen transparency, accountability and merit in the selection of the organisation's leadership. The recorded hearings will also be made available to the public through the OIF's official digital platforms, giving Francophone citizens an opportunity to better understand each candidate vision before the November summit. Each candidate will be allotted 20 minutes to present their priorities for the future of La Francophonie, followed by a 20 minute question-answer session with representing the OIF 93 members states and governments. Elections will take place at the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on November 16, 2026. ALSO READ: Nduhungirehe in Chad to rally support for Mushikiwabo’s Francophonie bid Louise Mushikiwabo Rwanda has nominated Mushikiwabo for a third four-year term. She has led the OIF since January 2019 after serving as Rwanda Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation from 2009 to 2018. Prior to that, she served as Minister of Information. Juliana Amato Lumumba DR Congo has nominated Juliana Amato Lumumba, a lawyer, diplomat. She has served as DR Congo's Minister of Education and Minister of Culture and Art. Coumba Bâ Mauritania's nominee, Coumba Bâ, is a former minister a diplomat. She served as Minister for Public Service, Minister for Youth and Sports, and Minister of African Affairs. Dacian Cioloș Romania has nominated Dacian Cioloș, a veteran politician. He served as Prime Minister of Romania between 2015 and 2017 and previously held the position of European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. He later became a Member of the European Parliament.
