BREAKING: Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala Becomes Lone Candidate For WTO Job As Korea Withdraws Candidate

Yoo Myung-hee is South Korea’s trade minister and its candidate for the top job at the WTO following the resignation of Roberto Azevedo.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s candidate in the WTO race, had secured the popular vote by a wide margin on October 28 but was not named DG because the US opposed her candidacy.

The two women are the last candidates standing and the eventual winner will set a record as being the first female WTO DG.

After the October 28, 2020, meeting, the WTO also said Okonjo-Iweala had the best chance of getting a consensus.

“Due to the prolonged vacancy of the leadership at the WTO, the future of the organization also has become uncertain,” Yoo said at a press briefing in Seoul.

“To speed up the consensus-building among the member countries on selecting a new director-general, I have decided to renounce my candidacy through close cooperation with the United States, our strong ally.

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“Washington, which showed strong support for my candidacy, also respects the decision to step down from the race.”

The US had said it favoured Yoo over Okonjo-Iweala because WTO is in dire need of reform and must be “led by someone with real, hands-on experience in the field”.