Africa will have to wait a little longer before it knows whether Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will be the next director general of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The organization responsible for managing trade relations around the world has actually postponed the meeting on Monday, November 9, where members had to choose between the Nigerian candidate and the South Korean Yoo Myung-hee. The position of the United States in contrast to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala complicates everything.
The WTO is an institution in crisis, and it is undoubtedly to avoid deepening the divisions that it decided on Friday, November 6, to postpone the meeting on Monday, the 9th, where it was to appoint its future director. general. After six months of working to select from the eight candidates who participated, the majority of the organization’s 164 member states had unreserved Nigerian soutenula Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. It was October 28th.
The WTO is awaiting the outcome of the US presidential election
But even though the Nigerian politician came out on top in the previous poll, The United States opposed his appointmentcontinues to support its rival, South Korean Yoo Myung-hee. This spectacular veto had the effect of an electric shock in an organization that usually appoints its CEO by consensus and does not want to resort to the vote for fear of deepening divisions. Especially at the moment, because the WTO is under fire from criticism from the Trump administration, which accuses it of being too favorable to China.
The organization’s fear would be to see the United States withdraw. Some observers therefore believe that WTO leaders prefer to wait cautiously for the political situation to clear up in Washington, where Donald Trump and Joe Biden Compete for the chair before announcing a winner.
So far, the organization is invoking “reasons, including the health situation and current events” to justify this postponement. The United States continues to support the South Korean candidate. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will not be defeated so far. The former World Bank chief said in late October still believed in his chances.
Thank you @WTO for today’s step in the formal registration of my leading position as the most likely to attract consensus for the WTO DG. Every step is important. ‘Look forward to further progress at the right time. #Positivityalltheway
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (@NOIweala) November 6, 2020.
