Hiiraan Online
Monday January 30, 2017
Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat is the African Union's newest Chairperson
Addis Ababa (HOL) - The Foreign Minister of Chad, Moussa Faki Mahamat has been elected the 15th Chairperson of the African Union on Monday, beating out Kenya's Amina Hassan.
Mahamat was elected as the Chairperson during the 28th AU Summit in Addis Ababa. The African Union’s official twitter page confirmed the results after the heads of African states took a vote.
There were five candidates competing for the African Union’s top job after South Africa’s Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma’s term expired.
After months of campaigning and an intense night of last minute lobbying, Amina Hassan who was widely believed to be the next chairperson after securing the votes of most English-speaking nations failed to garner enough votes to win the seat mustering only 26 votes to Mahamat's 38. The election went to the seventh and final round of voting, a rarity in AU Chairperson elections.
The position was created in 2002 with former South African president Thabo Mbeki serving as the first chairperson.