-
Mahamoud Ali Youssouf of Djibouti was elected as the new African Union Commission chairperson, succeeding Moussa Faki Mahamat after a tightly contested election
-
Youssouf secured 33 votes in the final round, defeating Raila Odinga and Richard Randriamandrato, and aims to strengthen the AU’s peace and security
Djibouti’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mahamoud Youssouf, has been elected as the new chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission.
After seven rounds of voting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Youssouf secured victory over former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and ex-Madagascar Minister of Economy and Finance Richard Randrimandrato.
He won the final round with 33 votes.
A total of 49 AU member states participated in the election.
Youssouf succeeds Chadian Moussa Faki, who served as chairman for eight years.