Trump’s US Truncates Okonjo-Iweala’s Hope to Become WTO DG By Consensus
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala almost became the director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by consensus before the United States sounded its disagreement to the process.
And now, the former Nigeria’s minister for finance may have to undergo a voting process to realise her ambition.
The administration of Donald Trump has indicated that it was not ready to support the emergence of the Nigerian as the WTO’s DG even though there was a move to appoint her by the consensus of the body’s 164 members.
Okonjo-Iweala on Wednesday got the endorsement of WTO’s selection committee, but the US has said it would exercise its veto to stop her consensual appointment, saying it is not satisfied with the selection process, according to a Bloomberg report.
Bloomberg said though WTO’s General Council was ‘tentatively’ scheduled to take place on the 9th of November, 2020 during which a final decision will be made, the WTO had agreed to appoint Okonjo-Iweala as its DG.
Bloomberg added that “the Trump administration said it won’t back the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to be the WTO’s next director-general,” and “will act as a veto that disrupts” her consensus nomination.
If it’s not possible for the general council to agree on a consensus candidate, WTO members can consider the possibility of recourse to a vote as a last resort by a procedure to be determined at that time.
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