As Jens Stoltenberg’s term comes to an end, NATO begins its search for a new secretary general. A senior European diplomat told Politico that Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė is among the potential candidates to lead the alliance.
Stoltenberg’s already extended term is due to end in September. According to Politico’s sources, the most commonly discussed option is that his term will be extended once again.
Meanwhile, his most frequently mentioned potential successors are Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
A third tier of candidates, less frequently mentioned, includes Lithuanian Prime Minister Šimonytė, Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová or EC President Ursula von der Leyen.
The new NATO secretary general will have a difficult task in balancing the interests of all members, ensuring the continuation of military support to Ukraine, increasing NATO’s defence capabilities and formally keeping the alliance on the sidelines of the conflict.
Until now, all alliance leaders have been men, so there is now growing pressure to choose a woman. “Time for a female Sec Gen,” a NATO source said. “If men try to hold their positions forever, fair representation of women will never have a chance.”
Most of the leaders were also from Western countries, with the most recent coming from Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As a result, some allies are now calling for a representative from other regions, especially Eastern Europe.
“For years, the countries of the eastern flank have been warning about Russia’s threat, [...] It would be very logical and sobering to have someone who is experienced in dealing with Russia and who understands Russia’s logic and mentality, to lead the North Atlantic Alliance,” one Baltic official told Politico.
There is also a reluctance in the alliance to extend Stoltenberg’s term of office, as the election of a new NATO leader would then coincide with EU and US presidential elections.
Former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has previously been mentioned in the Western media as a possible NATO leader, but she stressed at an event that her tough stance on Russia was preventing her from taking the post of NATO leader.
Canadian politicians have also been mentioned as possible successors to Stoltenberg, but Ottawa’s low defence spending may be a sticking point.
