After having lasted nearly 20 days as the sole contender for the coveted post of Commonwealth secretary general, the candidature of Maltese foreign minister Michael Frendo now has some company, in the form of Commonwealth Business Council director general Mohan Kaul.

Dr Frendo’s candidature for the post had been floated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on 11 April and, until Kaul’s nomination at the weekend, Dr Frendo was the sole contender for the post – a situation that had a limited shelf life given the prestige associated with the post, currently held by the infectiously-affable New Zealander Donald McKinnon.

In Dr Gonzi’s letter of nomination, Dr Frendo’s candidature was highlighted as proof of Malta’s commitment to the Commonwealth and to the organisation’s important international role.

Dr Frendo currently holds the presidency of the Commonwealth Ministers Action Group as well as the presidency of the Commonwealth Connects Steering Committee.

The election of a new secretary general is to be held at the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in November in Kampala, Uganda, and the winning candidate will assume office in April 2008.

Competition, however, is expected to be fierce; new candidates are expected to emerge from the woodwork over the coming months and Dr Frendo will have his fair share of behind-the-scenes lobbying to undertake.

A second serious candidate emerged this weekend in the form of Indian Mohan Kaul, director general of the Commonwealth Business Council, who in his nomination letter said he wanted to drive the 53-member body to fresh relevance with a new global economic and political presence.

Mr Kaul, said to be close to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, has also urged the UK and India to back his candidature.

Mr Kaul has been director general of the Commonwealth Business Council since 1998, and has in the past been a corporate director, policy adviser to governments and a consultant to a number of international agencies, academic institutions and public and private sector organisations.

Mr Kaul, who holds a PhD from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, was also an adviser to the Nelson Mandela government on reforming the South African public service.

“My suggestion is that the Commonwealth heads of government should make their choice in favour of the best candidate – let the best person win the race,” Mr Kaul, who has already contacted all member states about his candidature, commented this weekend.