The Organization of American States will select its next secretary general on March 10. The OAS is a platform for collective problem-solving among its 35 members states, representing all the sovereign states in the Western Hemisphere except for Cuba and Nicaragua. Among the organization’s strengths are programs on citizen security (such as law enforcement training) and support of democracy (such as election observation missions).
The two main candidates are Rubén Ramírez Lezcano of Paraguay and Albert Ramdin of Suriname. Both are qualified, but Ramírez is the right person at this time. He represents an ally of the United States and a friend of Taiwan and Israel. With less than a month to go, Washington should consider endorsing Rubén Ramírez now.
On March 10, the 35 member states will meet and cast their votes (the OAS also has several dozen non-voting observer states). There can be multiple rounds if no candidate gets a simple majority of 18 votes in the first round. The rules of the OAS elections allow for candidates to declare themselves on the day of the election.
The Two Candidates
Rubén Ramírez twice served as Paraguay’s foreign minister, most recently appointed by President Santiago Pena in June 2023. In that capacity, he has represented a country that has made tremendous progress domestically and abroad. Paraguay is the only country in South America to recognize Taiwan and has demonstrated its commitments to Israel. Paraguay is also a strong friend of the US. For all its advances and its consistently warm relations with the US, Paraguay has never held a senior-level post within the multilateral system. Minister Ramirez was photographed with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago a few months ago but there has been no clear statement from the Trump administration on his candidacy.
Albert Ramdin, the foreign minister of Suriname, is the alternative. As I wrote last year in the JST, Suriname has an important future ahead, owing largely to its hydrocarbon resources, and we should pay much more attention to the country. Ramdin is certainly qualified for the role, since he has previously served as the number two at the OAS, and he already has garnered the support of roughly 14 Caribbean countries through the unanimous endorsement of the CARICOM caucus of ambassadors, although it is not clear that all those countries will follow through on that endorsement with actual votes.
Albert Ramdin also enjoys the support of the Chinese Communist Party. He is closely aligned with China, meets regularly with its ambassador to the OAS Lin Ji, and has reaffirmed Suriname’s support for the “one China” policy. China has explicitly endorsed his candidacy.
The only other potential alternative to Ramírez of Paraguay and Ramdin of Suriname is the foreign minister of Costa Rica. Costa Rica has a conservative president and its foreign minister is rumored to be interested in running as a candidate, should neither of the two current candidates succeed in gaining the necessary number of votes. But in recent times, running an 11th hour campaign for multilateral leadership roles almost never achieves success.
US Considerations
The Chinese invest significant efforts across the full range of multilateral organizations, and a victory for Ramdin in the OAS would further China’s influence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. China is now South America’s largest trading partner, has bolstered authoritarian regimes such as those in Cuba and Venezuela, further isolated Taiwan’s support in the Western Hemisphere, and expanded its cultural, diplomatic, and military influence. Emblematic of its expanding influence, Beijing just celebrated opening a new megaport in Peru as part of its global Belt and Road Initiative.
The recent freeze on US foreign assistance suspended as much as $40 million from the OAS budget, making the OAS more vulnerable to other donors (including China). But some of this funding will likely be restored at the end of the 90-day review scheduled to end in mid-April.
It is in the interests of the US to support a candidate for the OAS secretary general position. Ideally, the United States would make its views known before the March 10th election. A clear statement of support from the US would create a bandwagon effect for the candidate of choice, and that candidate should be Rubén Ramírez Lezcano of Paraguay.
