Raila loses AUC vote

Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud Youssouf has been elected chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), after securing 33 votes in the seventh round of voting, marking a shift in the continent’s leadership.

The election, held during the African Union Summit, saw Youssouf defeat Kenya’s Raila Odinga and Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato in a tightly contested race.

Vote breakdown

In the first round, Odinga led with 20 votes, followed by Youssouf with 18 and Randriamandrato with ten votes.

Odinga maintained his lead in the second round with 22 votes, while Youssouf secured 19. Randriamandrato trailed with seven.

Youssouf overtook Odinga in the third round, winning 23 votes to Odinga’s 20. Randriamandrato received only five votes, and one country abstained.

In the fourth round, Youssouf extended his lead with 25 votes against Odinga’s 21, eliminating Randriamandrato from the race.

The trend continued in the fifth round, with Youssouf securing 26 votes to Odinga’s 21.

Odinga lost again in the sixth round, receiving 22 votes to Youssouf’s 26. Following his defeat, he withdrew from the race.

In the decisive seventh round, Youssouf won with 33 votes, securing the chairmanship.

Youssouf succeeds Moussa Faki, who has served two terms since 2017.

The 59-year-old career diplomat has been Djibouti’s foreign minister since 2005. Fluent in French, English, and Arabic, he brings extensive knowledge of AU institutions.

His leadership comes at a pivotal time as Africa pushes for economic self-reliance through initiatives like the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Additionally, ongoing conflicts in [mention key conflict areas] and Africa’s role in global diplomacy remain top priorities for the new chairperson.

Kenya has now lost the AUC chairmanship election twice. It lost to Chad under similar circumstances in 2017.