Geneva, May 15 (AFP/APP): US candidate Amy Pope looked poised to become the first woman to lead the UN migration agency, after Monday’s first round of voting put her squarely in the lead — ahead of her own boss.
After an unusually acrimonious leadership battle that pitted the United States against its European allies, the International Organization for Migration’s 175 member states kicked off the secret ballot in Geneva early Monday.
They faced a choice between backing former Portuguese government minister Antonio Vitorino for a second term, or supporting his US deputy Amy Pope to steer the organisation for the next five years.
All but 10 of IOM’s members took part in the first round of voting, and after all the light green ballot papers had been tallied, Pope had raked in 98 votes against Vitorino’s 67.
That was 12 short of the 110 needed to reach the two-thirds majority required to declare victory.
“I am confident,” Pope told AFP after the first round ended, voicing hope that no more than one more round of voting would be needed to get her across the finish line.
The IOM was founded in 1951 to handle the displacements in Europe following World War II but only joined the UN fold seven years ago.
The race for the top job at the organisation comes at a critical time, as global numbers of migrants soar.
The Geneva-based body is the leading international agency addressing the needs of some 281 million migrants throughout the world, according to a 2020 estimate.
The drawn-out campaign for the director general position has caused a rift between Washington — which has invested heavily in ushering an American back into a traditionally US-held leadership role — and its European allies, observers say.
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