Raila Odinga short of 4 votes to win African Union Commission chair in first round

Raila Odinga’s bid for African Union Commission chairman has secured 28 votes, about 5 votes less than the number required to win the seat in the first round. With 49 AU states voting for the chairman, Raila needs 33 votes to win in the first round. Otherwise, the election will go to second round. Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Gabon and Sudan were suspended from AU activities and will not participate in the election. African heads of state will meet in Addis Ababa on February 15 and 16 to elect a replacement for outgoing chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, who has served his maximum two terms. Raila will face Djibouti’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mahamoud Youssouf and former Madagascar Foreign Minister, Richard Randriamandrato. Eastern Africa will produce the chairperson, while the deputy's seat is reserved for Northern Africa. If any of the three secures 33 votes in the first round, he will be declared the winner. If no one gets two-thirds, the voting moves to second round, which will include only the two top candidates. If the second round does not produce a winner, the voting goes to the third round, where a winner is determined by a simple majority.