Is Monique Leroux set to become ICA next president!

If cooperators from India are to be believed Canadian national and Chief of Desjardins Group, Monique Leroux is set to bag the top post of the global cooperative body ICA. Torrents of mails being received by Indian Cooperative speak to overwhelming support for the lady.

According to reliable sources, Monique Leroux, one of the four candidates in the race for the International Co-operative Alliance presidential elections is ahead of her rivals as a chorus of support for her is gaining strength.

Today is the day of election and the November General Body meeting is significant – Dame Pauline has already resigned and election to a new President is slated in a 3-4 hours from now.

A formidable cooperator Ms Leroux is also president, chair of the board and chief executive officer of Desjardins Group, a federation of 400 credit unions and numerous subsidiaries claiming 7 million members and clients in Canada and operating, through Dévelopment international Desjardins, in more than 30 emerging and developing countries.

During her recent trip to India organized by IFFCO at Jaipur she is said to have left a mark on the people she met. Talking to Indian Cooperative IFFCO MD Dr U S Awasthi could barely hide his unstinted support for Ms Leroux. “I have done my part”, he said with a twinkle in his eyes and later refused to elaborate his statement.

Biscomaun Chairman Sunil Singh phoned Indian Cooperative to say Friday morning ” yes she is winning”. To a question how can he be so confident his reply was “she got highest applause in the question-answer session conducted for each candidate.”

Later Biscomaun Chairman elaborated that from India-all the voters-IFFCO, Kribhco, NCUI and NAFSCOB are voting for her. NCUI President Chandra Pal Singh Yadav is also supporting her candidature and has asked us to vote for her, Sunil said.

Indian Cooperative has gathered that Europe which has the highest number of votes is also supporting her candidature.

There is also a mad rush among cooperators at Antalya to get group photograph with Ms Leroux in the centre, indicating which way the wind is blowing.

The others in the race are Jean Louis Bancel from France, Ariel Guarco from Argentina and Euides De Freitas Aquino from Brazil.

The biannual global conference of the International Co-operative Alliance has opened in Turkey. Over 1,000 delegates from 81 countries are taking part in the event at the Pine Beach Hotel in Belek, Antalya.