afrol News, 21 September - Two African candidates remain in the fourth round of voting will be held today to try to select the next head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) after none of the candidates for the post were able to obtain a majority of ballots at the weekend.

Algeria''s Mohammed Bedjaoui and Egyptian Culture Minister Farouk Hosny are two of the five remaining candidates.

The candidates from Benin, Lithuania, Russian and Tanzania withdrew from the race to be Director-General before the third round vote, leaving five names on the ballot slated for later this evening in Paris.

The other remaining candidates are: European Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner (Austria) Bulgarian former foreign minister Irina Gueorguieva Bokova and Ivonne Juez de A. Baki of Ecuador.

Earlier this week, the agency''s 58-member Executive Board interviewed all nine candidates and then discussed those interviews in a private meeting. Voting is by secret ballot and a winner is chosen by a simple majority of the board.

The person elected will serve an initial four-year term. The current Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, ends his second term in November and is not eligible for another stint.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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