Brussels- European Commission in Brussels announced that its President Jean-Claude Juncker has granted European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva an unpaid leave of absence for the month of October to stand for the U.N.’s top post.

Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the EU’s executive arm will “ensure a strict separation between activities relating to her candidacy and her work” at the commission, where she has the portfolio in charge of budgetary affairs and human resources.

Announcing the decision to switch Bulgaria’s support to Georgieva, Prime Minister Boiko Borisov told the cabinet: “We consider this will be a more successful nomination.”

According to “ABC Newa,” the decision came two days after Bokova, came in sixth of nine candidates in the Security Council’s latest informal poll to succeed Ban Ki-moon on Jan 1.

Earlier this month, Borisov said his government would continue backing Bokova’s candidacy only if she was among the top two candidates in the fifth “straw” poll on Sept. 26.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said the government will be seeking support for Georgieva from neighboring countries.

“I want to thank Ms. Bokova, but we must transfer our support to Kristalina Georgieva,” Mitov said.