Carvalho (below) from Brazil is vying to become the secretary general of the International Seabed Authority, while Lodge is hoping to retain his top title and return for a third four-year term. — ©2024 The New York Times Company
ALLEGATIONS of possible payments to help secure votes. Claims of abuse of agency funds by top diplomats. A possible job offer to entice a candidate to withdraw from a race.
These are not the shenanigans of a corrupt election in an unstable country. Rather, they are efforts in the seemingly genteel parlours of a UN-affiliated agency, meant to sway decisions related to the start of seabed mining of the metals used in electric vehicles.
