Saima Wazed of Bangladesh has been elected as the next World Health Organisation regional director for South-East Asia, which comprises 11 member countries.

Wazed defeated Nepal’s Shambhu Acharya, a senior public health official who is currently serving as director, Country Strategy and Support, at the Office of the Director General of the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland.

After the competition between her daughter and Acharya heated up, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed had intensified lobbying in favour of her daughter.

Several international media outlets had criticised the Bangladeshi prime minister for using her office, position and clout to influence the election result, including with India.

During a closed meeting at the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Southeast Asia Region that started Monday, member states voted for Wazed in the election held on Wednesday. A section of the Nepali civil society, which had intensely lobbied in favour of Acharya, lambasted the government for not throwing its full weight behind Acharya’s candidacy.

But Nepali officials refuted the allegations.

“From the prime minister’s level to foreign minister and at different levels, we made a strong push for Acharya,” a senior foreign ministry official said, adding, “on our part, we did our best.”

Of the organisation’s 11 member countries—Nepal, India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, DPR Korea, the Maldives, Timor-Leste, Indonesia and Thailand—Myanmar didn't attend the meeting and the voting process.

Wazed secured eight votes out of 10 votes cast, while her rival Acharya, candidate of Nepal, got only two votes.

It was a friendly contest between the two candidates, said Sewa Lamsal, the foreign ministry spokesperson. “We will fully support and cooperate with the newly elected regional director.”

Nepal government officials knew prior to one year that Bangladesh was going to field its candidate and it would be none other than the daughter of the Bangladeshi prime minister, so they had anticipated that it would be a tough contest.

“We gave our best candidate and we were hopeful that Acharya would win,” said Adhikari, adding, “And we did lobby from the highest political level, sent requests to the member countries to vote for our candidate.”

According to the WHO, the nomination will be submitted to the WHO Executive Board during its 154th session, which is scheduled for 22-27 January, next year in Geneva, Switzerland. The newly elected Regional Director will take office on February 1, 2024.

Public health experts in Nepal alleged Nepal government’s reluctance to wholeheartedly support its candidate was responsible for Acharya’s defeat.

“It is tantamount to an intentional failure of our diplomacy,” said Dr Bhagawan Koirala, chairman of the Nepal Medical Council, the national regulatory body of medical doctors. “The government should have pulled the candidacy before the election, if it knew that it had not put in its best efforts to secure a positive result. Otherwise it should have made strong efforts to change the outcome.”

Some noted personalities—former ambassadors, former assistant secretaries general of the United Nations, former UN resident coordinators, and doctors—had urged the government to redouble efforts in favour of Acharya, after it fielded candidacy for the regional director of the UN health body.

Bishow Parajuli, former UN resident coordinator writing on X, formerly Twitter, termed the outcome a missed opportunity for Nepal.

“Nepal missed opportunity! @acharyas1 had the best credentials for @WHOSEARO RD post & worked hard ; Not sufficient to just nominate, there must be good efforts made by Govt to lobby. BGD Govt put whole govt machinery to win victory. We must learn for future! Sorry friend!,” Parajuli wrote.

Acharya congratulated Wazed on her election. “I congratulate @drSaimaWazed for her election as Regional Director. As a public health leader I would continue to work for public health and extend hands to support in any way I can.”

After the announcement of the election result, the Bangladeshi High Commission in New Delhi in a statement said that Wazed’s election is a recognition of her passion and relentless work in public health.