A U.S. candidate decisively beat her Russian rival to become the next head of the main U.N. technology agency on Thursday in an election seen as a test of how many countries are still siding with Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine.
Doreen Bogdan-Martin won the election for Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) - the U.N. body that sets standards for new technologies - with 139 votes out of 172, defeating Russia's Rashid Ismailov who got 25.
In a sign of the significance of her campaign to Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Anton Blinken wrote an endorsement in her brochure and President Joe Biden issued a supportive statement.
