Former Australian leader Kevin Rudd's bid to run for the United Nations' top job is set to fail, according to local media.
The Australian Cabinet will decide today whether to nominate Mr Rudd for the UN Secretary-General role, in a contest which includes New Zealand's former Prime Minister Helen Clark.
The Australian newspaper is reporting that there is strong opposition within the Cabinet to formally endorse him.
While Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Mr Rudd - a former Labor Prime Minister - was "qualified" for the role, no other minister had publicly backed him.
The Australian quoted a Liberal MP, who said: "It will make people very angry if Malcolm Turnbull can't find a place for former Liberal prime minister Tony Abbott on his frontbench but can back a former Labor prime minister for the top job at the UN."
A group of senior ministers were against backing Rudd because they were concerned about his suitability for the role, the UN's preference for a woman, and the potential political cost of backing the former Labor leader.
Mr Turnbull, the current prime minister, is said to have opposed Mr Rudd's nomination before the recent general election.
He said yesterday the endorsement was not a priority and that it would be a "Cabinet decision".
The Labor Party was also reported to be divided about supporting Mr Rudd.
Abbott declined to support Mr Rudd's nomination in 2014, saying that he had made a commitment to support Helen Clark.
Miss Clark is among 12 candidates in the contest to replace Ban Ki-Moon, whose term ends in December this year. She currently holds the UN's third top job as Administrator of its Development Programme.
- NZ Herald
