Interpol holds meeting in Istanbul to elect new president

Interpol is holding its General Assembly in Istanbul to discuss security threats and to hold a closely watched election for the international policing body's new leadership

ISTANBUL -- Interpol kicked off its annual meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday, to discuss security threats and crime trends as well as to hold a closely-watched election for the international police body’ new leadership.

Police chiefs and other representatives from the organization's 194 member countries are attending the three-day General Assembly which is scheduled to vote on Thursday to elect a new presidency and executive committee members.

The election for president is being followed closely since the first-ever Chinese president of the body, Meng Hongwei, vanished mid-way through his four-year term on a return trip to China in 2018. It subsequently emerged that he had been detained, accused of bribery and other alleged crimes. Interpol then announced that Meng had resigned the presidency.

A vice president, Kim Jong Yan from South Korea, was swiftly elected as a replacement to serve out the rest of Meng’s term. Kim’s presidency was due to end in 2020, but his tenure has been extended by a year after the coronavirus pandemic prompted Interpol to scrap its annual assembly last year. His replacement will be elected for one four-year term.