OAS Picks Insulza

The Organization of American States elected Chilean Interior Minister José Miguel Insulza as its next secretary general following the withdrawal of Mexican Foreign Minister Ernesto Derbez from the race. The vote of 31 in favor, with abstentions from Chile’s historic enemies Bolivia and Peru, and one ballot left blank, came three weeks after Insulza and Derbez, the US-backed candidate, received 17 votes each in five separate secret ballots. This was the most competitive battle to lead the OAS since its foundation. Insulza’s election is a setback for the US which had failed to win enough support for Derbez. Insulza, a pro-market Socialist, is a tough and determined politician nicknamed “the Panzer”.