On 20 November 2003 , Kadirgamar declared his candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations . He stood with the support of South Africa , which was critical of incumbent Don McKinnon 's opposition to Zimbabwean involvement in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003 , at which Zimbabwe withdrew from the organisation . In doing so , Kadirgamar broke the convention of not challenging incumbents for the position , which is usually appointed by consensus . However , at the vote , held in early December , he was defeated by the New Zealander , with 11 members voting for him against 40 for McKinnon
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2003
Lakshman Kadirgamar