Irish candidate the runner-up in ICC chief prosecutor race
Reading time: 2 minutes
Fergal Gaynor
Irish barrister Fergal Gaynor has narrowly lost out to England’s Karim Khan QC in the election for the top post at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The prosecutor was, for the first time, elected in New York by a secret ballot of all 123 states parties to the Rome Statue rather than by consensus.
Mr Gaynor was one of four candidates competing to become its next prosecutor, coming up against Mr Khan from the UK, Carlos Castresana from Spain and Francesco Lo Voi from Italy.
The first round showed a tight race between Mr Khan with 59 votes and Mr Gaynor with 47 votes, while Mr Castresana trailed with 12 votes and Mr Lo Voi with only five votes.
In the second round, Mr Khan triumphed with 72 votes – well clear of the 62-vote majority needed to win – while Mr Gaynor received 42 votes, Mr Castresana received five and Mr Lo Voi received three.
Writing on LinkedIn, Mr Gaynor said: “I sincerely thank all those who gave me such valuable help and advice over the past few months. Our commitment to truth and justice remains undiminished.
“I wish the next ICC prosecutor and his team the very best, and urge all states parties to give the ICC their full support.”
Mr Khan will assume the post of ICC prosecutor on 16 June 2021.
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
