African Leaders' Faces during the AU Summit in Addis Ababa

African Leaders' Faces during the AU Summit in Addis Ababa Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, 59, of Djibouti was chosen to be the new chairperson of the AU Commission. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign affairs minister of Djibouti, was chosen to serve as the new head of the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa.
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Other candidates, such as former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Madagascar Foreign Affairs Minister Richard Randriamandrato, have been defeated by him. The accomplished diplomat has pledged to promote change and make sure Africa is on the African agenda. He will take over for Moussa Faki Mahamat, the former prime minister of Chad, who is resigning. Kenya and Djibouti fought a fierce election battle. With 20 votes, Kenya's Raila Odinga took the lead in the first round, followed by Youssouf with 18 and Richard Randriamandrato of Madagascar, who received ten votes. Youssouf won 25 votes in the second round, while Odinga received 21.

Two nations did not participate. Youssouf boosted his total to 26 votes by the third round, while Odinga was ousted after holding onto 21 votes. Youssouf required 33 votes to win the election outright because there were no other contenders left, failing which it would have been postponed for a year. Youssouf became the next Chairperson of the AUC after he received the required 33 votes in the last round. In an African Union leadership transition, his election is a diplomatic triumph for Djibouti.

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