By Marcela Ayres and Rodrigo Viga Gaier
BRASÍLIA/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -An aide to Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to delay the Nov. 20 elections for the leadership of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) until next year and are seeking U.S. support for the move.
Guido Mantega, a former Treasury secretary on Lula’s transition team, said he had written to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and worked with others Representatives of Latin American countries talked, “to find a trade union that can meet representatives.”
“The Bolsonaro government cannot convince anyone that the country does not like the Bolsonaro government and Bolsonaro Sonaro management,” he said in an interview with TV channel GloboNews, adding that he had spoken to Lula about his move.
Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro has nominated former central bank governor Ilan Goldfarne to run for IDB leadership. But Lula allies have questioned the legitimation of his candidacy, arguing that the IDB election should be postponed until next year so Brazil’s nomination can reflect its newly elected government.
The U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
On Wednesday, Mantega told Reuters he was talking to “several governors” at the IDB to seek to delay the election until after the leftist Lula takes office on Jan. 1.
“It only takes one-third of the university members not to be present to postpone the vote,” Mantega said.
According to the IDB, the quorum for any meeting must be an absolute majority of the Governor, including a majority of the district members, “representing not less than two-thirds of the total voting power of the member states.”
U.S. Treasury, which has said it will not nominate any candidates, has 30% of votes in banks, followed by Brazil (11 %) and Argentina (11%). Colombia and Chile each hold a 3% stake.
A source who worked at the IDB and initially confirmed the letter said a delay was unlikely and several other regional countries hoped their candidates would be ousted over ethics scandals Former Inter-American Development Bank President Mauricio Claver-Carone.
Argentina announced Friday that it will nominate International Economic Relations Minister Cecilia Todeska Bocco as its candidate. Also vying for the post are Mexico’s central bank deputy governor Gerardo Esquivel and former Chilean finance minister Nicolas Eyzaguirre.
