Interpol to elect president after former chief disappears in China

Global police organization Interpol was expected to elect a president on Wednesday after the previous head disappeared in China two months ago.

The top candidates appear to be the organization's acting president, South Korea's Kim Jong Yang, and its Russian vice president, Alexander Prokopchuk.

The Russian's candidacy has evoked controversy from member states that have tense relations with Russia, such as the former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Lithuania and Estonia.

A bipartisan group of US Senators expressed concern, saying in a joint statement that "Russia routinely abuses Interpol for the purpose of settling scores and harassing political opponents, dissidents and journalists."

On Tuesday, US National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said the United States "strongly" endorsed South Korea's Kim.

The Lyon-based Interpol said last month that the disappearance its former president, Meng Hongwei, was an issue to be sorted out by China and France.

Chinese authorities said Meng had been detained on corruption charges. He purportedly resigned in absentia.

Interpol's general assembly, representing more than 190 member states, convened this week in Dubai with the election on the agenda. The new president should serve for the remainder of Meng's term, until 2020.

Ukraine, whose relations with neighbouring Russia have fallen to an all-time low in recent years amid a simmering pro-Russian rebellion in its two eastern-most regions, has threatened to leave Interpol if the Russian candidate is elected.