OTTAWA, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Canadian government announced Tuesday that it will not support former Governor General Michaelle Jean's bid for re-election as the head of la Francophonie.
In a statement, Jeremy Ghio, a spokesperson for Canadian Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie Minister Melanie Joly, said that while they respect Jean's track record, Canada will "join the consensus view" on the best candidate for the role.
The announcement to no longer support Jean's re-election came on early Tuesday after Joly arrived in Armenia for a la Francophonie summit.
La Francophonie is holding the summit this week in Armenia, where they are expected to select a new secretary general.
Jean has been campaigning to continue her position as Secretary General of la Francophonie, a group of 54 French-speaking nations. She is facing strong competition from Rwandan Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo.
Over the past few months, Jean has had to try to defend herself against allegations of her improper and excessive spending. She has called the media reports "smear campaigns, disinformation and defamation."
Jean has been secretary general of the organization since 2014.
