ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — An African Union official says African leaders gathered in Ethiopia have failed to elect a new chairman of the AU Commission.

An AU official said Monday that Gabon’s Jean Ping, who was running for a second term as chairman, did not reach the required two-thirds majority to win another term. The official spoke on condition he was not identified because the voting results had not yet been made public.

Ping’s main challenger — Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, a former wife of South African President Jacob Zuma — withdrew from the election after losing three rounds.

The AU Commission’s deputy chair, Erastus Mwencha, will take over from Ping until the next AU summit in about six months, when African leaders will vote again.