UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova is now officially Bulgaria's nominee for the office of UN Secretary General, a statement by the Foreign Ministry in Sofia shows.

The ministry announced late on Tuesday evening that Bulgaria's top diplomat Daniel Mitov had signed the nomination earlier during the day, in accordance with a decision already adopted by the Council of Ministers dated "June 19, 2014", under previous Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski.

Bokova is currently serving her second term at the helm of UNESCO, the United Nations' cultural body.

The move comes after months of speculation whether she will be endorsed by the present Bulgarian government led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and amid reports that EU Commission Vice President Kristalina Georgieva would also seek support from the cabinet.

According to the statement, due to her professional experience "Ms Bokova could be one of the significant candidacies in the forthcoming campaign [to elect] a UN Secretary General".

A successor to Ban Ki-moon is to be picked in December of this year. A number of international media outlets have described Bokova as a "frontrunner."

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