MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Previously Bulgaria backed Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO children's fund as its candidate for the post. According to the Sofia Globe newspaper, the country's foreign ministry made the recommendation to change the candidate as Bokova ranked too low — in sixth place — in the most recent UN Security Council (UNSC) secret ballot, while Georgieva had better chances of winning the race.
"I want to thank Mrs Bokova, but we must transfer our support to Kristalina Georgieva," Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said at the Cabinet meeting, as quoted by the paper.
On Monday, the UNSC conducted the fifth of a series of straw polls which seek to choose a winner from the remaining nine candidates in the race. Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres continues to be the frontrunner, while Vuk Jeremic, Former Serbian Foreign Minister was ranked second. Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak was in the third place.
