The INTERPOL General Assembly has elected Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi of the United Arab Emirates as the Organization’s new President.
Mr Al Raisi was elected following three rounds of voting. Under Article 16 of INTERPOL’s Constitution, ‘a two-thirds majority shall be required for the election of the President; should this majority not be obtained after the second ballot, a simple majority shall suffice.’
In the final round Mr Al Raisi received 68.9 percent of votes cast by member countries.
As President, Mr Al Raisi’s role during his four-year term will include chairing meetings of the Executive Committee which supervises the implementation of decisions taken at the General Assembly.
“It’s an honour to have been elected to serve as the next President of INTERPOL,” said Mr Al Raisi.
“INTERPOL is an indispensable organization built on the strength of its partnerships. It is this collaborative spirit, united in mission, that I will continue to foster as we work to make a safer world for people and communities.”
Secretary General Jürgen Stock, the Organization’s senior full-time official who oversees the day-to-day running of INTERPOL’s General Secretariat, welcomed Mr Al Raisi’s appointment.
“For the past three years I have worked with Mr Al Raisi in his former role as Delegate on the Executive Committee. I look forward to working closely with him in ensuring that INTERPOL continues to fulfil its mandate and support international police cooperation.’
The President and other Executive Committee members are elected by the General Assembly on a ‘one country one vote’ basis, with each vote carrying equal weight.
The role of the President, which is part-time and unpaid, is to chair the General Assembly and three meetings of the Executive Committee each year.
Human rights groups had lobbied against his candidacy. Human Rights Watch, for example, accused him of failing to investigate credible complaints of torture against UAE security forces.
Read the announcement at INTERPOL
