Mark Rutte, the Dutch Prime Minister, is poised to become the next NATO Secretary-General after his rival withdrew from the race.

• On Thursday, Klaus Iohannis, the Romanian President, withdrew his application for the position of NATO military alliance leader.
• He backed the favorite candidate for the post, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

On Thursday, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis withdrew his bid for the NATO military alliance leadership and endorsed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as his preferred candidate.

During a meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense, Iohannis announced his decision to withdraw from NATO, stating that he had already informed allies of his decision at the end of last week, as per a statement from the Romanian Presidency translated by CNBC.

The move paves the way for Dutch PM Rutte to become the new Secretary-General of the 32-member U.S.-led NATO military coalition, as incumbent Secretary-General Stoltenberg's term ends in October. Unanimous support from NATO allies is required for the appointment of a Secretary-General.

This breaking news story is being updated.