Start again in Vienna
A second day of voting on the person to be director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency has ended with a call for new candidates.
A second day of voting on the person to be director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has ended with a call for new candidates.
Three votes were held to decide between Yukiya Amano of Japan and Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa for the position, which Mohamaed ElBaradei will vacate on 30 November. Taking part were the 35 members of the IAEA's board of governors, each one an Ambassador from their country.
The first straight-forward vote saw Amano gain 23 votes and Minty 12. In common with the ballots held yesterday, no candidate had the required two-thirds majority among voting members.
The next stage saw a 'yes/no' vote on each candidate in turn. Amano led again with 22 'yes' votes and one abstention, compared to Minty's 15 'yes' votes and one abstention.
Chair of the board Taous Feroukhi revealed the results and confirmed that having been unsuccessful with these candidates, she would invite IAEA member states to submit new candidatures on Monday. She added that Japan and South Africa would not be barred from re-submitting Amano and Minty.
The IAEA board wants to make an appointment by June to be submitted to the IAEA General Conference in September.
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