Okonjo-Iweala is unchallenged for second term as WTO chief

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has cleared a major hurdle in her bid to win a second term, but she still faces a potential obstacle from the United States after Donald Trump’s reelection as president. 

No other candidate emerged to challenge Okonjo-Iweala for the position during a 30-day nomination period that closed at midnight on Friday in Geneva.

“At the end of the nomination period, the only candidacy received for this post is from Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the incumbent director-general,” WTO General Council chair Petter Ølberg said in a note to WTO members on Saturday.

That means the WTO General Council could approve her bid for a second term at its next meeting, which is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 16-17. But it remains possible that the United States or another member could object to her reappointment. 

Such an objection could require the WTO to take a rare vote to break the impasse.  

Clete Willems, who served as a White House trade official in the first Trump administration, criticized the WTO for trying to give Okonjo-Iweala a second term before Trump is sworn in for his second term on Jan. 20. 

“I don’t know what the Biden administration will do, but I think what they should do is tell the WTO to go back to the original timeframe and not try to rush this in the shadow of a U.S. presidential election,” Willems said. 

Four years ago: Trump tried to block Okonjo-Iweala’s initial appointment in 2020 but lost that year’s presidential election to Joe Biden. 

The United States dropped its opposition to Okonjo-Iweala after Biden took office and the WTO approved the former Nigerian finance minister and former number two-ranking World Bank official as its director-general in February 2021. 

Neither Trump nor his campaign has explicitly said they oppose Okonjo-Iweala getting a second term. But Trump’s former U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, labeled her as “China’s ally in Geneva” in his 2023 book, “No Trade Is Free.” 

Speedy procedure: For its part, the Biden administration has expressed concern about the WTO’s accelerated process to give Okonjo-Iweala a second term. 

That was done at the request of African countries, who argued reappointing her early would help preparations for the WTO’s next ministerial conference in late 2025 or early 2026. However, that was widely seen as an attempt to avoid the possibility of Trump blocking her a second time if he won the U.S. presidential election.   

Okonjo-Iweala’s first term ends on Aug. 31, 2025. Normally, the nomination process for the next WTO chief would begin nine months before then on Dec. 1. Instead, Ølberg opened the nomination process on Oct. 8, after consulting with members about the African Group’s request for an early start. 

All eyes on U.S.: The office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai did not respond Friday to questions about whether it would support giving Okonjo-Iweala a second term when the issue is put to WTO members at the December General Council meeting. 

If the United States or another member objects to Okonjo-Iweala serving a second term, Ølberg is expected to consult with members about what to do. 

One option would be to hold a vote since the rules governing the selection process allow for that possibility. However, no previous WTO director-general has been selected that way and most decisions at the WTO are made by consensus. 

“I think it was politically tone deaf [of the WTO] to create a novel, expedited process to try to front-run the U.S. election,” Willems said. 

The WTO should go back to its normal timeframe for selecting the director-general and give the incoming Trump administration a chance to weigh in, he said.