OREANDA-NEWS. The Council of Ministers adopted a decision to nominate Kristalina Georgieva for UN Secretary General with a mandate from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021. The decision repeals the one from 19 June 2014 for the nomination of the UNESCO Director Irina Bokova.

Bokova is the best performing candidate among the female nominees but at the last informal voting received a lot of discouraging votes, as well as support votes below the required minimum of 9, which limits her chances for election. This created the need to look for an alternative approach with the new Bulgarian candidate, who is capable of making a successful entrance in the competition and turning into a leading candidate in the short remaining time.

Kristalina Georgieva is an acknowledged international authority in the field of international cooperation and humanitarian issues, which are expected to be the leading direction in the work of the UN, especially under the conditions of the continuing and severe humanitarian crises that entailed large scale migration and asylum waves. As a Vice President of the European Commission responsible for budget and human resources, Georgieva has a key role in the realization of EU policies and the reform and optimization of human resources.

The wide support and contacts in international respect, which Georgieva has, provide the opportunity for the Bulgarian state to make a serious attempt at consolidating the regional group of Southeastern Europe by nominating her.

The government assigned the Minister of Foreign Affairs to coordinate the campaign for gathering support for the Bulgarian candidate among UN member states.