The UN Economic and Social Council have re-elected Jagjit Pavadia with the highest number of votes to a five-year term on the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), while China’s candidate lost.
Pavadia polled 44 votes on Tuesday in the first round of voting in the 54-member Council facing a field of 15 candidates for the five seats up for election this year ensuring her continuance on the board.
India’s Ms Jagjit Pavadia tops International Narcotics Control Board Election.
15 candidates in fray for 5 seats.
Threshold for election 28Results of 1st round.
Jagjit Pavadia
India 44Jallal Toufiq
Morocco 32Cesar Tomas Arce Rivas
Paraguay 31.Rest face another vote. pic.twitter.com/O0jSkxFU96
— Syed Akbaruddin (@AkbaruddinIndia) May 7, 2019
ALSO READ: US proposes hike in H1 B application fee
The defeat of China’s Hao Wei in his bid for re-election bid was glaring because of Beijing’s strong campaign backed by its Yuan diplomacy across the developing countries. He got only 22 votes in the first round and 19 in the second. A minimum of 28 votes were required for election.
Only two other candidates, Jallal Toufiq of Morocco and Cesar Tomas Arce Rivas of Paraguay received more than the minimum votes needed for election in the first round and Bernard Leroy of France and Viviana Manrique Zuluaga of Colombia were elected in the next round.
They will begin their term on March 2, next year.
The next big election where India is fielding a candidate is for the Food and Agriculture Organisation. Ramesh Chand, a member of the NITI Aayog, will face four other candidates at the FAO Conference in Rome next month to succeed Jose Graziano da Silva.