The newest candidate to be UN secretary-general, Kristalina Georgieva, says she may be a "latecomer" to the race, but still has strong credentials to become the first woman to lead the United Nations. The 63-year-old Bulgarian economist who served as European budget commissioner has shaken up the contest to succeed Ban Ki-moon, who steps down at the end of the year after serving two five-year terms.
On Monday, she goes before the General Assembly for a two-hour question-and-answer session, hoping to persuade world diplomats that she is as ready as some of the other candidates who have been in the race for months. "I hope to be judged on merits, not on the duration on the campaign trail," Georgieva told AFP in an interview on Friday. "I'm a latecomer not by choice, but by necessity. The Bulgarian government has invited me to join the race now," said Georgieva, who had been tipped to be a candidate for months.
The Bulgarian government this week withdrew its support for UNESCO chief Irina Bokova after she failed to make a strong showing during informal voting for the new UN chief at the Security Council.
Despite the late entry, the former World Bank vice-president said she was not "an unknown quantity" in international circles and at the United Nations, where last year she led a high-profile panel on humanitarian financing. "What I bring to the position is a breadth of experience in international development, humanitarian aid and dealing with fragility," she said.