OAS secretary-general Insulza expresses confidence he has votes to be elected to second term
By APThursday, February 11, 2010
OAS chief Insulza confident will be re-elected
SANTIAGO, Chile — Jose Miguel Insulza expressed confidence Thursday that he will be elected to a second 6-year term as secretary-general of the Organization of American States.
Insulza, who is the only candidate in the March 24 vote, said he believes he has at least the minimum-needed 17 votes among the regional group’s 33 voting members.
A Chilean who belongs to President Michelle Bachelet’s socialist party, Insulza’s candidacy has been supported by her government. But Bachelet leaves office March 11, before the vote at the OAS headquarters in Washington.
Insulza said he had not yet spoken with Chile’s incoming president, conservative businessman Sebastian Pinera.
“I’m calm, hoping for the support of the government of my country, naturally,” Insulza said during a radio interview.
During his first election run for the post in 2005, Insulza was selected after a 17-round stalemate with Luis Ernesto Derbez of Mexico that was broken when leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez persuaded Caribbean countries to support Insulza.
