Khattab: Egypt gain 1 vote, Qatar lost 2 in UNESCO 3rd voting round

CAIRO - 11 October 2017: Egypt’s candidate to head UNESCO, Ambassador Moushira Khattab stated Wednesday that voting process is undergoing, since today was the third round of voting, which means that Egypt still has a chance to win the vote.

“Egypt has won one vote, while Qatar lost two,” Kattab told the state TV in a phone call from Paris on Wednesday, adding that Thursday’s round will determine the final candidates for the seat, and the final round will be on Friday.

“The Egyptian delegation will decisively carry on the current elections,” Khattab said, affirming that Egypt has the qualities for the post, like improving education, counter-terrorism, preserving cultural heritage, and the real desire to reform the UNESCO.

Wednesday marks the third of four rounds of the UNESCO voting for a new director-general; it resulted in 13 votes for Egypt's Khattab, 18 votes for Qatar and 18 votes for France, while Lebanese candidate Vera El Khoury amassed 4 votes, and Chinese candidate Qian Tang received 5 votes.

Pham Sanh Chau of Vietnam withdrew before the third round. The first round was held Monday, and the second was held on Wednesday where Azerbaijan's nominee had withdrawn.

Five candidates are running for office, including Ambassador Khattab, the candidate from Egypt and Africa.

The winning candidate must obtain 30 votes, which did not occur in the first round but possible by a potential fifth round, which is to be held on Friday. The candidates who amassed the highest number of votes in the fourth round will compete in the fifth.

The new director-general of UNESCO will be named on October 13. Then, 195 members in the General Conference will be appointed in view of recommendations from UNESCO’s Executive Board.