Sources have it is one of the most prestigious jobs in the world and the process of appointing the next holder was supposed to usher in transparency, tearing away the much criticized secrecy and hidden deal-making which has characterized it in the past.
But the race to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations has, instead, become enmeshed in accusations of dirty tricks and backstabbing, political enmity, regional rivalry and personal attacks.
The inevitable analogies with Game of Thrones and House of Cards may seem incongruous in choosing the successor to Ban Ki-moon, the overwhelming feature of whose two terms have been blandness, but that is what on the lips of diplomats with passions running surprisingly high.
Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel have become involved in the real politik, and the support of Barrack Obama is much sought. Also trying to influence the outcome is Hungary’s hard-right leader Viktor Orban and some British Conservative politicians.
