{"id":110479,"date":"2025-02-16T06:03:22","date_gmt":"2025-02-16T06:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/02\/16\/ruto-commits-to-advancing-africas-agenda-after-auc-loss\/"},"modified":"2025-02-16T06:03:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T06:03:22","slug":"ruto-commits-to-advancing-africas-agenda-after-auc-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-commits-to-advancing-africas-agenda-after-auc-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto commits to advancing Africa\u2019s agenda after AUC loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 \u2014<\/strong> President William Ruto has emphasized that the election of the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, which saw Djibouti\u2019s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf emerge victorious, was not about individual candidates or national interests but about shaping the continent\u2019s future.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Youssouf secured the position after obtaining the required two-thirds majority with 33 votes in the seventh round of voting on Saturday.<\/p>\n

His victory came after Kenya\u2019s Raila Odinga was eliminated in the sixth round, where he garnered 22 votes against Youssouf\u2019s 26, with one abstention.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis election was not about individuals or nations; it was about Africa\u2019s future. That future remains bright, and together, we will continue working for a united, prosperous, and influential Africa on the global stage,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

In his first statement following Kenya\u2019s loss, Ruto congratulated Youssouf and assured him of Kenya\u2019s full support during his tenure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the outcome of this election did not favor Kenya\u2019s candidate, I wish to convey my deepest gratitude to the entire leadership of our great continent. Thank you for considering the Right Honourable Raila Odinga\u2019s vision and priorities for the African Union and for giving him the opportunity to share his passion for the continent\u2019s transformation,\u201d Ruto stated.<\/p>\n

He also extended his congratulations to Algeria\u2019s Selma Haddadi, who was elected Deputy Chairperson, reaffirming Kenya\u2019s commitment to working with the new AUC leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo Their Excellencies Mahmoud Youssouf and Selma Haddadi, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, I extend my sincere congratulations. You have the trust of the AU Assembly, and Kenya pledges its full support as you steer the African Union Commission to the next level,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Raila concedes <\/h2>\n

Following his elimination, Odinga conceded defeat and thanked his supporters, emphasizing the need to uphold democratic values in Africa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had offered myself as a candidate. Over the last few months, I have traveled across the continent, engaging with different leaders and canvassing for their votes. Today, they have expressed their will,\u201d Odinga said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs it is, we did not succeed. We must strengthen democracy on the African continent, and I am therefore conceding defeat. I want us to use this as an example of how to reinforce democratic values across Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odinga congratulated Youssouf and wished him success in his new role.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to wish my competitor, Ali Youssouf, all the best and success in his new role. I also want to thank all the member states who voted for me\u2014and those who did not\u2014because, in doing so, they exercised their democratic rights. This is how democracy should work,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The outcome marks Kenya\u2019s second unsuccessful attempt to secure the AUC chairmanship, following Amina Mohamed\u2019s loss to Chad\u2019s Moussa Faki in 2017.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 16 \u2014 President William Ruto has emphasized that the election of the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, which saw Djibouti\u2019s Mahmoud Ali Youssouf emerge victorious, was not about individual candidates or national interests but about shaping the continent\u2019s future. Youssouf secured the position after obtaining the required two-thirds majority with 33 votes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110479\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}