The Bulgarian Government has said it is very pleased at the election of Irina Bokova as the new director general of Unesco.

Bokova defeated Egyptian culture minister Farouk Hosni in the fifth round, gathering 31 votes in favour against Hosni's 27 in the Unesco council. Ranked as an outsider at the start of the race, Bokova's nomination gained momentum over the previous rounds of voting.

"It's a great recognition for Bulgaria," said Prime Minister Boiko Borissov. He added that he had personally intervened in Bokova's favour even though Bokova is a socialist and Borissov's GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) is a centre-right party.

Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov also hailed the Bulgarian's victory, although he admitted that at the beginning of the process Bokova's chances of securing the top job seemed remote. "We have secured a lot of support for Bokova's bid. However, at the beginning her chances of heading Unesco seemed really negligible," he said.  

Rashidov said that having a Bulgarian at the head of such an influential organisation could only boost  Bulgaria's influence. "Thanks to Unesco, we can develop our cultural centres and they will start working like the Goethe-Institute. We can extend their scope, and make them start functioning as working units. Bulgaria can get help in many directions because many projects fall under the aegis of Unesco."

Bokova will become the first woman to head the Paris-based body. "I will use all good ideas and we will work together," the 57-year-old career diplomat said after the ballot.

However, sources within Unesco said the sometimes bitter conflict had taken its toll.

"It became very conflictive. As delegates, we were very concerned about the reputation of Unesco," said Homero Aridjis, a delegate from Mexico.

Hosni, 71, was favourite to become the Arab world's first Unesco director-general, but his candidacy had created outrage among Jewish organisations, while media rights activists accused him of turning a blind eye to censorship in Egypt. His supporters said that the September 22 vote was a missed opportunity to send a positive signal to the Muslim world.

"What I find disappointing is not the quality of the winner but the fact that the road has been blocked to a different cultural voice," said Nasser Hossam, who had led Hosni's election campaign.