section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission is the head of the African Union Commission (AUC). They are the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the African Union (AU), and the Commission’s Chief Accounting Officer. They are elected for a four-year term, renewable once, by the Assembly of the African Union.
  
  The position was preceded by the Secretary General of the OAU, and the role became more powerful upon the formation of the AU. The Chairperson is responsible for the Commission's finances and administration, promoting its objectives, dealing with key stakeholders (member states, development partners, regional blocs etc.), appointing and managing Commission staff, and storing AU and OAU treaties and legal instruments.