An election to pick a new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief stalled yesterday when the Japanese frontrunner failed to win a required 2/3 majority in three rounds of voting, diplomats said.

Japan's Yukiya Amano prevailed over South Africa's Abdul Samad Minty by 21-14, 20-15 and 20-15 margins in the closed-door secret balloting, they said. But this was short of the 24-vote victory threshold in the IAEA's 35-nation governing board.

The UN nuclear watchdog's governors were expected to try again later yesterday or today by holding a simple "yes or not" vote with only the leading candidate, Amano, on the ballot. If inconclusive, this procedure will be repeated for Minty.