Mark Rutte's rival will not be pulling out of the race for NATO's top job

Mark Rutte's rival for the NATO secretary-general position, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, has emphasized that he is not withdrawing from the race even though nearly all NATO members have announced their support for the outgoing Dutch prime minister.

The job will open up later this year with as a replacement for Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The Norwegian is stepping down after ten years on the job.

Iohannis confirmed his candidacy for the top job after a visit to American President Joe Biden in Washington D.C. "Competition is healthy," he said. Shortly before the meeting, a spokesperson for the White House avoided questions about whether the U.S. president would ask the Romanian leader to pull out of the race to pave the way for Rutte, American media reported.

A unanimous decision is needed to name the new secretary general for NATO. Of the 32 NATO member states, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary are the countries holding up the victory for the highly-favored Rutte.

As the most prominent backers of the military alliance, the Americans have repeatedly expressed their support for the Dutch politician, as have the British, the Germans, and the French. Turkey recently announced its support for Rutte for the first time.