Mahmoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti has won the chairmanship of the African Union Commission (AUC) after an intense election that spanned six rounds of voting.

The election, held on February 15, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, saw Mahmoud triumph over Raila after Madagascar’s Richard Randriamandrato was kicked out in the early rounds of voting.

Voting breakdown

In the first round of voting, Raila Odinga of Kenya led with 20 votes, closely followed by Mahmoud Ali Youssouf with 18 votes.

Madagascar’s candidate received 10 votes, while one member state abstained.

The second round saw Odinga gain 22 votes, Youssouf 19 votes, and Madagascar’s support dwindle to 7 votes.

By the third round, Youssouf took the lead for the first time, securing 23 votes against Odinga’s 20, while Madagascar’s candidate fell to just five votes and was subsequently eliminated.

This narrowed the competition down to a two-horse race between Djibouti and Kenya.

In the fourth round, Youssouf extended his lead with 25 votes to Odinga’s 21, with two abstentions and two spoiled ballots.

The gap widened further in the fifth round, with Youssouf earning 26 votes compared to Odinga’s 22, while one state abstained.

In the final round, Youssouf clinched victory by securing the majority needed for the AUC chairmanship, marking a significant diplomatic achievement for Djibouti.

Raila drops out

Raila Odinga, who had received substantial backing from the East African Community (EAC) and other African states, withdrew from the race after the fifth round.

Odinga’s candidacy had been strongly endorsed by several African leaders, including Kenya’s President William Ruto.

However, he faced a last-minute challenge from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which supported Madagascar’s candidate.

Voting process

The AUC election follows a multi-round secret ballot system, requiring a candidate to secure at least 33 out of 48 votes.

If no candidate reaches this threshold in the first three rounds, the lowest-scoring candidates are eliminated.

The remaining two contenders continue until one secures a two-thirds majority.

In this case, the race extended to six rounds before Youssouf clinched victory.