The readmission of Morocco into the African Union will require member countries to go through a voting process to determine their readmission, officials have said.

As the summit of the Heads of State begins today, there are expectations that the north African country will request to be readmitted into the body.

Speaking on the matter, African Union Deputy Chairperson, Erastus Mwencha said that readmission would require the country to present a formal request for readmission and member states would then vote.

"Morocco used to be a member of the African Union Under the OAU, they withdrew from the OAU way back in 1981.They must give indications that they want to come and the member states will have to vote to get the majority as to whether they can come back. That is the process,” he said.

If they come, there is a process that they must go through. It is a requirement under the charter as a legal instrument, he added.

The northern Africa country withdrew from the AU' predecessor the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1981 over the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as a full member of the body.

Morocco special envoy Taieb Fassi Fihri yesterday told reporters in Nairobi that they were seeking to have their membership reinstated to be part and parcel of the African Union.

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