UNHRC elected Fiji's ambassador as its 2021 president in an unprecedented secret ballot after a diplomatic standoff blocked the usual consensus decision. #China, Russia and Saudi Arabia tried to back other countries to spoil the original consensus. dw.com/en/un-rights-b…
"Observers and diplomats saw Fiji's rivals as being backed by Russia, China and Saudi Arabia, although a Chinese diplomat said he would be happy for any of the three candidates to win."
The deadlock over the presidency came at the start of a year that is widely expected to see the United States rejoin the rights body after quitting the forum in 2018, and with a review of the council's activities expected to begin.
Multiple meetings to resolve the deadlock were unsuccessful amid strong lobbying ahead of the vote, diplomats said. The council does not make legally binding decisions, but it can authorize probes into alleged rights violations by mandating international fact-finding missions.
A diplomat said he expected the intensity of debates to increase this year, given that Russia and China also return to the council after periods away from it.
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