Maldives has withdrawn its surprise nomination of Virginia Gamba for UN secretary-general
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UNITED NATIONS — Maldives has withdrawn its surprise nomination of Virginia Gamba for secretary-general, and Chile has backed out of its nomination of Michelle Bachelet, according to the General Assembly president’s spokesperson, La Neice Collins.
That would effectively leave only one woman, Rebeca Grynspan Mayufis, on the ballot amid a clamour for a woman to head the 80-year-old organisation.
It also narrows the field of candidates from five to three, the other two being men.
Collins said on Thursday, the Maldives wrote to the presidents of the Assembly and the Security Council that it was dropping the nomination of Gamba, who has held senior positions at the UN.
Maldives nomination of Gamba was a surprise as the citizen of Argentina was not known to have any special ties to the South Asian archipelago.
Maldives Permanent Representative Ali Naseer Mohamed did not give a reason for withdrawing the nomination in his two-sentence letter circulating on social media.
With Maldives pulling her nomination, she will no longer be a candidate, Collins said.
But another Argentinian, Rafael Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, is contesting with the support of his country.
While her country, Chile, has withdrawn her nomination, Bachelet will stay on the ballot because Brazil and Mexico, who joined in nominating her, still support her candidacy, Collins said.
Bachelet, who was the president of Chile, is a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a position that put her at odds with several countries.
Chuck Edwards, the vice chairman of the US House of Representatives subcommittee dealing with the State Department, said last week he opposes her candidacy, and several members of Congress were preparing a letter asking that the US block her election.
He cited her criticism of human rights in the US and Israel as the reason for the opposition.
As a permanent member of the Council, the US is likely to veto her election -- if she gets to that stage -- making the backing of Mexico and Brazil moot.
The other candidate is Macky Sall, a former president and prime minister of Senegal, who was nominated by Burundi.
Unless another strong woman candidate emerges, Grynspan of Costa Rica has an edge because of the pressures for electing a woman to succeed Antonio Guterres.
It is reflected in the Assembly resolution on the election that called for "equal and fair distribution” on the basis of gender as a desirable goal.
Assembly President Annalena Baerbock and the then-president of the Security Council also called for women candidates when they launched the election process last year.
Unlike Bachelet, who was involved in human rights issues, and Grossi, who was embroiled in nuclear issues relating to Iran and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Grynspan’s leadership of UNCTAD did not call for strong, controversial stances.
Nominations close on Wednesday, and, starting April 20, the candidates will face three-hour interactive sessions during which they will present their case for leading the 193-member organisation and answer questions from diplomats and civil society representatives.
Although the winner will need a simple majority in the General Assembly, the fractious Security Council, where the five permanent members have veto powers, really make the decision, as the UN Charter says that the Assembly appoints the UN’s top official “upon the recommendation of the Security Council”.