Djibouti has officially nominated its Foreign Minister, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, as a candidate for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
Youssouf joins Kenya’s Raila Odinga and Somalia’s Fawzia Yussuf in the race.
The three are vying to replace the outgoing AU Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat who is serving his second and final term.
On 30 January 2017, after seven rounds of voting, Chad’s Moussa Faki was elected chairperson over Kenya’s Amina Mohamed.
He was re-elected in 2021 for another four year term which ends in 2025.
The Chairperson of the Commission is the Chief Executive Officer, legal representative of the AU and the AU Chairperson’s Chief Accounting Officer.
He is directly responsible to Executive Council for the discharge of his duties.