The current director-general of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, is the only candidate for the position.
Mr Lamy was the only candidate when nominations closed on 31 December.
His current four-year term as head of the body that referees world trade expires at the end of August this year.
WTO members must now decide whether the re-appointment is automatic, or to go through a formal selection process.
It's the first time in the 14-year history of the WTO that there has been no contest for the position. Previous elections lasted for months.
Mr Lamy is a former trade chief of the European Union. His entire first term was dominated by efforts to conclude the Doha round of trade talks which began seven years ago.
