Japan and South Africa have each endorsed candidates to lead the International Atomic Energy Agency when Director General Mohamed ElBaradei's third and final term lapses at the end of November, the U.N. organization said Friday (see GSN, Sept. 30, 2008).
Japanese Ambassador Yukiya Amano and South African Ambassador Abdul Minty were nominated by their governments under procedures announced at an October meeting of the U.N. nuclear watchdog's 35-nation governing board. The board accepted nominations through the end of last year.
To win the appointment, one of the contenders must receive support from at least two-thirds of the governing board's member states. The board plans to vote on a candidate by June and request the winner's appointment at the IAEA General Conference in September.
If neither candidate can secure the necessary support, the governing board would restart the nomination process (International Atomic Energy Agency release, Jan. 2).