Djibouti’s Foreign Minister elected as the new AUC Chairperson.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has lost the African Union Commission chairperson race in an election held Saturday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf won the race after getting the requisite 33 votes in the 7th round of voting which he contested alone.
Raila had been dropped in the sixth round after he trailed Youssof in the sixth and fifth rounds.
Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato was eliminated earlier after trailing the race in the first, second, third and fourth rounds leaving the race for Raila and Youssof to face off.
In round one of the election, Raila got 20 votes, Youssouf 18 and Randriamandrato 10. One was an abstention.
In Round two Raila got 22 votes, Youssouf 19 and Randriamandrato 7.
Mahmoud Ali Yusuf – 25 Rt. Hon Raila Odinga – 21 Abstention- 2 Spoiled 1
The election saw 49 member states participate with six other countries suspended.
The chairperson is elected by member states, excluding countries under military rule.
A candidate must garner a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, equivalent to 33 votes.
An AUC chairperson is elected by the Assembly for a four-year term, renewable once.
The seat is held on a rotational basis among the five regions, and this time, the Eastern region presented a candidate while the Northern region presented a deputy chairperson.
