Vienna  - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) began Friday holding a run-off vote to choose a successor to outgoing chief Mohammed ElBaradei after Thursday's balloting by the 35-member failed to choose between Japanese diplomat Yukiya Amano and his South African riva, Abdul Samad Minty.

Amano, 61, clearly won over Minty, 69, in three rounds of voting, but fell short of the necessary 24 votes, or two-thirds majority, of the board vote as required under the agency's rules.

A new successor must be chosen as Egyptian Nobel Prize-winner and current chairman Mohammed ElBaradei has made it known that he does not wish to stand for a fourth term.

ElBaradei, who has presided over the agency's attempts to hold Iran and North Korea to account for their nuclear activities, has been in the job since 1997. His term expires in November.

If neither candidate makes the two-thirds majority in Friday's ballot, new candidates for the post can be named.

Amano is currently Japan's permanent representative and ambassador to the IAEA.

Abdul Minty has been South Africa's representative to the IAEA since 1995. He is also deputy director general of South Africa's Foreign Affairs Department. (dpa)