For the first time since its founding in 1948, the Organization of American States (OAS), a national of the Caribbean Community, is on course to head the hemispheric body thanks to overwhelming support from the region and a slew of other nations.

Up to Thursday, Albert Ramdin, incumbent foreign minister of Suriname, appeared to have the majority of votes, especially after Paraguayan President Santiago Pena announced late Wednesday that his foreign minister, Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, had withdrawn his candidacy.

The Paraguayan had been Ramdin’s main rival and had been giving hints that he had the support of Washington, even though the US had not publicly signaled support for him. From all appearances, Ramirez Lezcano has accepted that his chances are slim and abandoned the race. Elections are slated for March 10th in Washington.

Officials said that the announcement followed a cabinet assessment of his chances given that Ramdin, 67, has already secured all 14 CARICOM votes, in addition to written pledges from Costa Rica, Ecuador, The Dominican Republic, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, and Uruguay. Canada, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, and Peru have also given hints that they are leaning toward the Caribbean candidate.

Ramdin, also a former assistant secretary general at CARICOM, served two consecutive five-year terms as an OAS assistant secretary general until 2015 and is reported to be an expert on OAS matters. He is one of several Caribbean nationals to have done so, but none has ever been elected to the top position.

Writing in his syndicated column this week, Sir Ronald Sanders, Antigua’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS, praised Ramdin for being the ideal candidate.

“CARICOM has carefully assessed the candidates and concluded that Albert Ramdin is the best-suited choice. His decade of experience as assistant secretary general of the OAS uniquely positions him above all other contenders. He possesses an intimate understanding of the organization’s inner workings, its challenges, and the responsibilities of the role. His candidacy represents the kind of leadership the OAS urgently requires: one focused on institutional renewal, not political maneuvering,” he said.

He also said word had reached CARICOM that Costa Rican foreign minister Arnaldo Andre had unofficially entered the race, but “he is unlikely to garner much support. He offered himself as a candidate without campaigning among the member states or subjecting himself to questioning from the OAS members and civil society, a process in which both Ramírez and Ramdin engaged,” Sanders said.

Ramdin only has to secure 17 of the 32 votes to become the new SG, as both Venezuela and Nicaragua have withdrawn in recent years. Decades of pressure from Washington have forced Cuba into the background, leaving only 32 active nations, of which CARICOM has one of the largest single blocs.