The UN Security Council held its third unofficial poll on Friday to assess support for candidates for the future Secretary-General. This event took place ahead of the annual General Assembly meeting in New York. The results of this unofficial and confidential voting were not announced immediately after the process, which lasted over an hour.
Poll Results and Candidates
Jérôme Bonnafont, France's representative to the UN and President of the Security Council in September, told reporters, "The third round of polls has been conducted," but he refrained from disclosing the results. According to information received from diplomats, Rebecca Greenspan has emerged as the frontrunner in this round with nine "encouragement" votes and five "discouragement" votes. Caroline Rodriguez-Berkitt from Guyana is in second place with eight "encouragement" votes and six "discouragement" votes, while Rafael Gross from Argentina received five "encouragement" votes and eight "discouragement" votes.
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Competition for the Secretary-Generalship and Challenges
According to Daniel Ferte, Head of UN Affairs at the International Crisis Group, "There are now two leading candidates: Greenspan and Rodriguez-Berkitt. However, neither has been able to secure enough support from the Security Council to avoid the possibility of a veto by the five permanent countries." He also added that the next voting, which will likely take place immediately after the high-level week, will show whether these two candidates have the ability to continue or if the competition may open up to new candidates.
So far, no clear candidate has emerged from the first two rounds of voting, and now eight candidates are seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres, the current Secretary-General whose term ends in December. Some members of the Security Council have expressed a desire to see a woman lead the UN for the first time.
Other candidates include Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, Ivan Bakhi from Ecuador, Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Foreign Minister of Ecuador, and Olara Otunnu from Uganda. Diplomats have also raised the possibility of new candidates entering the race as the five permanent members of the Security Council - the UK, China, France, Russia, and the US - seek consensus.
A candidate needs at least nine votes from the 15 members of the Security Council for endorsement and must also avoid vetoes from any of the five permanent countries. The Security Council then recommends the candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for appointment. The United States has not publicly supported any candidate so far. A US State Department official said on Thursday that candidates must commit to returning the UN to its core principles and publicly commit to the necessary changes.
The official added: "The United States is looking for a practical, motivated candidate focused on reforms that protects the valuable contributions of member states and restores effective management, significantly optimizing the organization."
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