Djibouti’s Mahamoud Youssouf elected AU commission chair in tightly contested election

Mahamoud Youssouf, Djibouti’s foreign minister, has been elected as the new chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission.

Youssouf won Saturday’s election after seven rounds of voting by the union’s 49 member states.

He won the election with 33 votes in the final round, constituting the required two-thirds.

The tightly contested race saw Raila Odinga, Kenya’s former prime minister, and Richard Randriamandrato, Madagascar’s ex-economy and finance and foreign affairs minister, vie for the AU top position.

However, Youssouf secured a win in the final voting round.

The multilingual politician who speaks Arabic, English, and French was perceived as an outside shot compared to fellow contenders from larger African nations.

The Djiboutian replaces Moussa Faki of Chad, who has held the AU chairperson position for eight years.

He is expected to steer the AU through complex issues around peace and security, trade, and institutional reforms while advocating for Africa’s position on the global stage.

The minister previously said that as commission chairman, “peace and security” would be his priority.