IDB Presidency: 17 countries reject Argentina's initiative to postpone the elections

Paula lugones

08/18/2020 - 17:49

• Clarín.com
• Economy
• Economy

The United States received new regional support for the nomination of a man from Donald Trump for the presidency of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB): 17 countries of the continent published a joint statement on Tuesday in which they reject the postponement of the elections in the organization , against an initiative promoted by Argentina and other nations to stop the US candidacy.

"We urge all member countries to comply, in the indicated time and form, with the resolutions already approved by the Directors and Governors," says the declaration, which is signed by the governments of The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador. , El Salvador, United States of America, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay, Dominican Republic, Suriname and Venezuela .

Trump's current senior adviser for the region, Mauricio Claver Carone , broke a 60-year tradition in the body by being the first American to stand for the position traditionally reserved for a Latin American. This move caused the rejection of a large part of the region, but it was supported by Brazil and Colombia, among other countries, and would have the majority of votes to be elected.

The election, which was initially postponed due to the pandemic, decided to be held in September virtually . But Argentina, along with the EU, Chile, Mexico and Costa Rica launched an initiative to postpone them due to the pandemic until March of next year and thus complicate the chances of Claver Carone, of Cuban origin and very critical of the situation in Cuba and Venezuela. . Without saying it formally, they are betting that if Trump loses the election in November, his IDB candidate would be weakened.

The American directly accused Argentina of trying to "hijack" the election and "pushing a tactic that hinders a minority of countries . " Argentina has its own candidate for the body: Minister Gustavo Béliz , who worked for the IDB for years, and there is also a third candidate, the former president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla.

"It will be of utmost importance to preserve the integrity of said process and the decisions made by the Bank's Directors and Governors to protect the interests of the region and to protect the hemispheric sovereignty of our Inter-American Bank," the statement said.

The document, published on the website of the Colombian Foreign Ministry, highlights that the Executive Board of the organization decided on July 9 that the election of the successor of Luis Alberto Moreno take place on September 12 and 13, 2020 at an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors through an electronic software platform from the Bank's headquarters in Washington DC. And he adds that "the election of the IDB president is of the utmost importance for our region and for the Bank's leadership in the greatest challenge of the contemporary era."

They highlight the concern about the impact that the coronavirus pandemic will have on the continental economy and warn: "Our peoples need solutions that cannot be postponed."

The United States seeks to secure the election of its candidate, who already has the majority of votes, in September. But the opposing countries could try to block the election and not provide the necessary 75% quorum. Some, as Clarín learned , hesitate to endorse this blocking maneuver because they fear some later reprisals from Washington. Now the United States seeks to show that it retains its support intact, despite the Argentine initiative.

Washington. Correspondent