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The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) elected this Saturday as its president Donald Trump’s advisor, Mauricio Claver-Carone who was presented as the only candidate, in the midst of a regional controversy over the rupture of a tradition that the entity was led by a Latin American.
The 48 governors formalized the election in a virtual meeting to elect the successor to the current president of the institution, the Colombian Luis Alberto Moreno.
At the command of the Washington-based organization, the senior US official of Cuban origin will have to face the acute crisis in the region and an eventual reconstruction of Venezuela.
Carone was elected despite the insistence of several countries, including Chile, so that the vote – already postponed – be postponed again since the pandemic did not allow adequate debate.
Controversial elections
The United States – the main shareholder of the IDB with 30% – broke an unwritten tradition that governed the 60-year life of the institution by which a Latin American led the Bank and an American held the vice presidency.
Argentina – which sought to present its current representative at the Bank, Gustavo Béliz, as a candidate, but did not ultimately run for him – announced Thursday that it would abstain from voting.
The candidacy of an American provoked irritation in Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico, who argued that this Saturday’s vote should be postponed again since the pandemic did not allow adequate debate.
This claim was joined by the head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, who thus recommended it to the European member countries of the IDB.
The election of the American candidate comes less than two months before a very close presidential election in the United States in which Trump is staking his re-election as president against Democrat Joe Biden.
Claver-Carone, a 45-year-old lawyer known for his strong opposition to Cuba and Venezuela, accused countries that resisted “wanting to steal the ball.”
To win, a candidate must have the support of at least 15 of the 28 American countries and the support of a number of IDB member countries that give him a 75% majority of the voting power.
Chile abstained
From the Ministry of Finance they reported that Minister Ignacio Briones, in his capacity as governor before the instance, abstained from voting, a path followed by a total of 16 countries that represent 31.23% of the voting power of the IDB.
“As it was communicated on August 6, 2020 through a statement by the Ministry of Finance, the Government of Chile considered it prudent to postpone this presidential election in the context of the serious pandemic that is plaguing the world and the region and that has demanded that all our governments concentrate their actions on combating its health, economic and social effects ”, they indicated from the portfolio.
They added that, “in this context, the additional time and the process of reflection that we proposed would have allowed a more in-depth discussion on the leadership of the IDB, the international financial safety net, and the appropriate institutional framework to support regional development. We believe that a postponement would also have allowed the participation of relevant actors in the discussion, including current and former authorities, as well as the eventual presence of other candidates to preside over the IDB, who might have been able to convene, encourage dialogue, and build consensus ”.
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