ROME — Dark horse Indonesia's candidate to run the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation threatens to snatch victory from favourite Brazil in the election for the Rome-based agency's director general next month after Spain's last minute candidature split the Latin vote, diplomatic sources say.

Brazil had long let it be known it wanted to climax Latin America's longstanding claim to run the food agency and Brazilian candidate José Graziano da Silva immediately took pole position in the race to replace Senegalese director general Jacques Diouf, who at last agreed not run again after an 18 year reign at the head of the beleaguered agency. Graziano helped create Brazil's Zero Hunger initiative, serving as extraordinary minister of food security during Lula da Silva's presidency.

However the Devex news agency speculated that Indonesia's Indroyano Soesilio might be the "dark horse" among the other candidates who could pull off a surprise win, upsetting Brazil following the decision by Spain's former foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube, to throw his hat into the contest as well as contenders from Iran, Iraq and Austria.

"Soesilio could be that dark horse," said Devex's Elena L.Pasquini. "The scientist and engineer, who currently serves as Indonesia's welfare minister, is counting on the votes of many Asian countries, even though he has less experience in food and agriculture issues than his challengers."

Whoever wins the hard-fought poll will face an uphill challenge of restoring morale not just at the FAO but at the UN food agencies in Rome in general, observers say. Under Diouf's stewardship the FAO saw its top American, Jim Baker, apruptly replaced after he told colleagues he was considering resigning over red tape and alleged corruption at the agency.

And at the FAO's sister agency the International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, agency president Kanayo Nwanze has battled to restore his credibility after being forced to move from his luxurious villa on the swanky Via Appia Antica when his sky high spending was disclosed by the Italian Insider last autumn.