Saturday, February 15, 2025 - Kenya’s candidate for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson elections, Raila Odinga, has conceded defeat after losing to Djibouti’s Mahamoud Ali Youssouf in the high-stakes race.
Speaking in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after the vote, Raila
congratulated Mahamoud on his victory and wished him success in leading the
continental body.
He emphasized the importance of upholding democracy in
Africa, stating that the election process, though disappointing for his camp,
should serve as an example of democratic maturity.
"I had offered myself as a candidate and spent months
engaging leaders across the continent. Today, they have spoken, and we did not
succeed. I accept the results and urge Africa to continue strengthening
democracy," Raila stated.
The former Kenyan Prime Minister initially led the race in
the first two rounds, securing 20 and 22 votes respectively.
However, Mahamoud gained momentum in the subsequent rounds,
eventually securing the required two-thirds majority in the seventh round with
33 votes.
Raila’s numbers started dwindling in the third round, where
he managed 20 votes against Mahamoud’s 23.
By the fifth round, the Djiboutian candidate had extended his
lead to 26 votes against Raila’s 21. In the sixth round, Raila inched up to 22
votes but failed to close the gap.
With Raila eliminated, Mahamoud faced no competition in the
decisive seventh round, securing a landslide victory and officially replacing
outgoing AUC Chair, Moussa Faki, of Chad, who has served for eight years.
Kenya has now lost the AUC Chair bid twice in eight years,
having previously suffered defeat to Chad in 2017. Raila’s concession signals
the end of yet another political pursuit - will he now turn his focus back to
local politics?
The Kenyan DAILY POST
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