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Expat New Zealander Chris Liddell backed out of the race to head the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Lidell, who was a former US President Donald Trump’s nominee, had announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing his candidature to head the Paris-headquartered OECD.
The OECD is a group of primarily rich and large countries and works to give multilateral direction on mostly taxes and trade topics.
Reasons for Liddell’s withdrawal not clear
While the reasons for his withdrawal are not clear, what is apparent is his nomination to head the OECD had caused much controversy in New Zealand.
Green Party had opposed his nomination upfront and had also urged the government of NZ to not to support Liddell’s nomination for the OECD position. The right-wing ACT and National Party had supported his candidature, until the storming incidence of the Capitol Hill happened in early January.
Judith Collins, the opposition leader, had said that Liddell’s links to the Trump administration would have been prejudicial to democratic values.
Even though ACT deputy leader, Brooke van Velden, backed Liddell saying that the Kiwis should have been united in supporting him, Liddell withdrew after the Capitol Hill fiasco.
Golriz Ghahraman, a Member of Parliament from Green Party, said that New Zealand should have voted for governance by values, which in her opinion, would have been battered, had Liddle been chosen to lead an international body like the OECD.
It may be noted that Liddell was former US President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy co-ordination. Liddell is New Zealand-born but holds a dual citizenship of both the US and New Zealand.
