Gridlock News

 Foreign relations for President Bush might get a little bit uglier if Bank President Paul Wolfowitz receives a thumbs down vote from the Board of Directors of the World Bank.  The president of the bank is appointed by the United States.  This is a five-year term and if he keeps his job, bowlful wits would stay on in the bank until 2010, 2 years into the next term for the next president of the United States.

The United States does receive a 16 to 17% share in the vote if the board were to recommend the ouster of the current president of the bank.  That essentially gives the US a veto power over the removal of the president of the bank.  However such a veto could cause serious damage to our relationships with the European members of the bank.  They have been strong critics of Paul Wolfowitz as well as the President of the United States himself.

It is not clear how large a majority would be necessary to remove Wolfowitz forcibly. Each country casts votes according to its percentage contribution to the bank's funds, with the United States the most powerful with 16 percent to 17 percent of the vote. Super-majorities are required for some board actions; a super- majority requirement to remove Wolfowitz would effectively give the United States a veto.

Source: Wolfowitz decries 'smear campaign' in ethics investigation - The Boston Globe