DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on the election of Interpol's next president (all times local):
12:35 p.m.
The spokeswoman for the Russian interior ministry says that the Russian candidate for Interpol president who lost the election will continue to work as the international law enforcement body's vice president.
Russian police official Alexander Prokopchuk, who was opposed by the U.S., Britain and other European nations, lost the vote Wednesday to Kim Jong Yang from South Korea.
Irina Volk told the Interfax news agency that Prokopchuk will retain his position and continue to "focus on advancing the stature of Interpol in the international police community and making its work more effective."
Kim will serve until 2020, completing the four-year mandate of his predecessor, Meng Hongwei, who was detained in China as part of a wide anti-corruption sweep there.
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11:45 am
The Ukrainian interior minister is calling the election of a South Korean candidate to lead Interpol a victory for his country.
Ukraine, along with Western nations and Russian opposition figures, staunchly opposed a Russian police official who was also in the running for president of the international law enforcement body. Kremlin critics raised the alarm about the Russian candidate, Alexander Prokopchuk, fearing that he could encourage abuse of Interpol's warrant system.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov tweeted Wednesday from the conference room where the vote was held, saying "The Russian candidate has been rejected. This battle is won!"
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11:27 a.m.
South Korea's Kim Jong Yang has been elected as Interpol's next president, edging out a longtime veteran of Russia's security services who was strongly opposed by the U.S., Britain and other European nations.
The White House and its European partners had lobbied against Alexander Prokopchuk's attempts to be named the next president of the policing organization, saying his election would lead to further Russian abuses of Interpol's red notice system to go after political opponents.
Prokopchuk is a general in the Russian Interior Ministry and serves as an Interpol vice president.
Kim's win means he secured at least two-thirds of votes cast at Interpol's general assembly in Dubai on Wednesday. He will serve until 2020, completing the four-year mandate of his predecessor, Meng Hongwei, who was detained in China.
