BARONESS Patricia Scotland, from the United Kingdom, was elected Secretary General of the Commonwealth by leaders of the 53-nation bloc on Friday in Malta. She becomes the first woman to hold the post.
Born in Dominica, Baroness Scotland, 60, was one of three contenders for the post and will officially take office in April next year as the sixth Commonwealth Secretary General. She is a former Attorney General in Britain.
Baroness Scotland and the other contender, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba from Botswana, are the only two women to have ever contested the Commonwealth’s top post. The third candidate was Sir Ronald Sanders, from Antigua and Barbuda.
The election took longer than expected with sources describing it as a hot contest between the two women.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said after a "thorough discussion" Baroness Scotland enjoyed "unanimous support".
The Baroness said it was "a huge privilege" to occupy an important role. "The 53 countries have within them the ability and capacity to create something the world desperately needs," she said.
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