Croatian Foreign Minister Marija Pejčinović Burić was chosen Wednesday as the new secretary-general of the Council of Europe.
She received 159 votes from members of the human rights body’s parliamentary assembly, with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders on 105.
The election comes after a controversial decision by the parliamentary assembly (PACE) — by a large majority — to allow Russian representatives to return to the chamber, five years after Moscow was stripped of its voting rights over the annexation of Crimea. Russia threatened to quit PACE if it was barred from voting in the election to replace Norway’s Thorbjørn Jagland as secretary-general.
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Source: European Voice
