Africa candidates out of WTO head race

 

The field of candidates to lead the World Trade Organisation (WTO) shrank to five on Thursday as the Jordanian, Kenyan, Costa Rican and Ghanaian contestants were asked to withdraw, a diplomatic source familiar with the process said.

No Africans are now under consideration, which may trigger a race for African support among the other candidates as they enter the second of three rounds.

The remaining candidates are New Zealand's Tim Groser, Mexico's Herminio Blanco, Brazil's Roberto Azevedo, South Korea's Taeho Bark and Indonesia's Mari Pangestu, the only woman still under consideration.