Kristalina Georgieva hasn’t been nominated to join the race for U.N. secretary-general — but it’s too soon to count her out based on veiled statements from both her camp and a spokesperson for the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Reports from multiple outlets in the past week have pointed to the current European Commission vice president as an eleventh hour debut in the race to succeed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Media outlets in Georgieva’s native Bulgaria reported the government in Sofia would this week “switch” its nomination from UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova to Georgieva in a cabinet sitting on Tuesday.
Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister Rumiana Bachvarova told press Monday that Bokova's candidacy was "not sufficiently convincing" and that there would be "news in coming days" on the subject. A spokesperson from Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday responded to Devex’s inquires by pointing to the country’s February 2016 nomination of Bokova and saying, “this has not changed.”
About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.