Morocco becomes president of UNHRC, winning vote against South Africa

Morocco won, Wednesday, in its race to head the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The vote took place this morning in Geneva. Morocco received 30 votes while South Africa only collected 17 votes. No abstentions were recorded during the vote.

In a speech, the now president of the UN Human Rights Council, Moroccan Ambassador Omar Zniber, congratulated the countries which voted for Morocco. He also expressed his commitment to favoring «consensus» and «dialogue» during Morocco’s one-year mandate.

Morocco’s election is a setback for the Polisario which has launched, for weeks, a campaign against the Moroccan bid to head the UNHRC. A campaign relayed by Algerian media.