Mahamoud Ali Youssouf from Djibouti has been elected as the new Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission. He secured victory after a competitive election that went through five rounds of voting on Saturday.

Youssouf faced a strong challenge from Kenya’s Odinga Odinga, who was seen as the favorite to win. However, Odinga lost momentum after failing to present his vision within the given five-minute time limit.

Instead, he spent most of his time discussing Pan-African history, and before he could outline his plans, the timer cut him off.

On the other hand, Youssouf delivered a convincing speech and won 33 votes, securing the top position. Initially, Odinga led in the first round, but he started losing support even after a third candidate from Madagascar dropped out.

Youssouf replaces Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad, who served two terms as AU Commission Chairperson. The 59-year-old has been Djibouti’s foreign minister since 2005 and previously worked as the country’s ambassador to Egypt.

His leadership experience in different governments made him a strong contender for the role.

With his election, Youssouf is set to lead the AU Commission and shape the future of the African Union in the coming years.