Chad's foreign minister Moussa Faki has been elected chairman of the African Union (AU) commission, succeeding South Africa's Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Mr Faki's main challenger in the last round of voting at the AU summit in Ethiopia was Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed, Reuters added.
Other contestants were Senegalese Abdoulaye Bathily, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, a veteran politician from Botswana and Mba Mokuy, a senior adviser to Equatorial Guinea's President in a tight race held as part of the ongoing AU summit.
Ghana’s Ambassador Kwesi Quartey also becomes the incoming Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission.