The World Trade Organisation, WTO, has dropped three of the candidates contesting for the post of Director-General but retained Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Bloomberg reported the development today, 18th September.
The organisation also plans to further trim the number of contestants to only two prior to d-day.
Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria’s former Finance Minister and External Affairs Minister. Before working for the Nigerian government, she was a Managing Director of the World Bank.
The world trade body said that Mexico’s Jesus Seade, Egypt’s Hamid Mamdouh, and Moldova’s Tudur Ulianovschi failed to secure the requisite support base in the first of three rounds of voting.
According to the Geneva-based organisation’s General Council Chairman, David Walker, “their expertise and high professional and personal qualities are highly valued and respected by all members.”
Walker added that the second phase of consultations would begin on the 24th of September and run until the 6th of October. He also said that the WTO would thereafter, announce the two final candidates.
The vacancy for the post of Director-General was announced after Brazilian, Roberto Azevedo stepped down one year before the end of his term.
The time lapse also offered the US, European Union and other nations the opportunity to reshape the organisation which risked being sidelined by protectionist policies across the world. WTO had as its mission, world economic integration.
The contenders for the position are former ministers, a criterion that the trade officials see as an important characteristic for a future DG.
The timing of the campaign to lead the WTO during the most turbulent period of its 25-year existence is viewed as interesting against the the backdrop of the #COVID19 pandemic the resultant world economic recession.
There is also battle for supremacy between US and China as well as the US presidential election.
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