Khattab still has hope despite Qatar’s lead in UNESCO poll

CAIRO – 10 October 2017: Egypt’s candidate for the position of UNESCO director-general, Moushira Khattab, stressed that she still has hope of winning, even though the Qatari has led in the results of the first round of voting.

She said in a statement to CBC channel on Monday that she expected to be among the top three candidates for the post, pointing out that this result prompts Egypt to think about the required political moves in the run-off stage.

Khattab, who served as a top aide to former Egyptian First Lady Suzan Mubarak, came third in the race with 11 votes, while Qatar’s candidate, Hamad Abdul Aziz al-Kawari, who has been promoted with the help of lobby groups, collected 19 votes.

Egypt's candidate noted that some African countries did not vote in favor of Egypt, stressing that the election depends on the efficiency of candidates and political lobbying.

The UNESCO executive board will vote over a maximum of five rounds, in a process expected to last about a week. The winning nominee will then be presented to the agency’s general assembly for final approval.