Berset takes lead in election of Council of Europe chief

Former Swiss president Alain Berset took the lead in the first round of voting for a new secretary general of the Council of Europe on Tuesday. A second round will be held as no candidate received an absolute majority. 

The race to lead the Council of Europe, a 46-nation human rights organisation based in Strasbourg, is part of a major reshuffle of Europe's top positions.

In the first round of voting, Berset came first with 92 votes, followed by former Estonian Culture minister Indrek Saar and European Union Justice commissioner Didier Reynders, who received 78 and 70 votes respectively.

Since no candidate received an absolute majority, a second round of voting will be held at the end of the day on Tuesday to determine the winner, this time by a simple majority. Candidates may withdraw, although all three can legally participate in the second round.

^{Alain Berset © PHOTO MICHAEL BUHOLZER / POOL / AFP}