Former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been elected Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO.
In the final two-man race, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala polled 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat South Korea’s Trade Minister.
However, the United States reportedly expressed its opposition to the emergence of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, despite polling 104 votes from 164 member countries to defeat South Korea’s Trade Minister.
Recall that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was billed for an announcement as the new WTO director-general on Wednesday, but the heads of delegation failed to reach a consensus after meeting by 3pm.
Despite being an American citizen, sources say the US does not consider Mrs Okonjo-Iweala as being committed enough to the interests of the world power at the flagship trade body.
Unlike the World Bank where the US has a larger voting power than other countries, the WTO is run differently, by the consensus of every member country.
“The WTO is run by its member governments. All major decisions are made by the membership as a whole,” the WTO website reads.
“In this respect, the WTO is different from some other international organizations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
“Where consensus is not possible, the WTO agreement allows for voting — a vote being won with a majority of the votes cast and on the basis of ‘one country, one vote’.”
