Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson position, Raila Odinga, has lost in the election held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Although Raila won the first two rounds of voting, Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf triumphed in the subsequent rounds, securing the Chairperson seat.
In the first round, Raila received 22 votes, while Mahamoud garnered 18 votes, and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar secured 10 votes. One vote was abstained.
The second round saw Raila with 20 votes, Mahamoud with 18, and Randriamandrato again with 10. One country abstained.
In the third round, Raila’s vote count held steady at 20, but Mahamoud overtook him with 23 votes, while Randriamandrato’s support dwindled to 5. One vote was abstained. As a result, Randriamandrato was eliminated from the race, leaving Raila and Mahamoud to compete head-to-head.
Mahamoud increased his lead in the fourth round, securing 25 votes compared to Raila’s 21. There was one spoiled vote, and one country abstained.
In the fifth round, Mahamoud received 26 votes, while Raila garnered 21, with one abstention.
After the fifth round, Raila was eliminated from the race, leaving Mahamoud as the only remaining candidate.
In the final round, Mahamoud claimed victory, earning 33 votes, and is set to replace Chad’s Moussa Faki, who has held the position for eight years.
Mahamoud is a seasoned diplomat and long-serving foreign minister of Djibouti.
The African Union Commission is the secretariat of the African Union (AU) and manages the day-to-day activities of the 55-country bloc. It is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The chairperson is elected for a four-year term, renewable once.