According to the newspaper El Pais, negotiations on the issue will begin in the autumn
The Spanish newspaper El Pais, citing diplomatic sources, said on Wednesday that the new secretary general will be elected at the NATO summit, which is expected to be held next spring in Madrid. According to the newspaper, for the first time in NATO’s history, the secretary general of the alliance could be a woman, succeeding the Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg in October 2022.
“There is a general belief that the time has come for a woman to lead NATO”, – El Pais quoted diplomatic sources as saying.
There is a broad consensus within the organisation that Stoltenberg should be replaced by a woman, the paper specifies. Negotiations on the search for the next NATO secretary general will start in the autumn but the names of potential candidates have already been heard from various countries members of the alliance.
According to the paper, former British Prime Minister Theresa May, former EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini and German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Carrenbauer are among the possible candidates for the post of NATO secretary general. Former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic are also likely contenders.