The UN Security Council held its first test vote on candidates for the position of secretary-general
The UN Security Council held its first informal test vote among the candidates for the position of the organization’s next secretary-general. The procedure is intended to gauge the preliminary positions of Security Council members and identify potential frontrunners ahead of the official process to elect the new UN chief.
According to The National, Rebecca Greenspan of Costa Rica led the informal vote, receiving 10 “encouragement” votes. She was followed by Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Carolyn Rodriguez-Birkett, with 9 votes, while IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi took third place with 7 votes.
Probe votes are an unofficial procedure during which Security Council members indicate whether they “support,” “do not support,” or have no opinion regarding a candidate. Such votes allow for an assessment of the level of support for the candidates, but their results are not officially disclosed.
In accordance with Article 97 of the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. During the indicative votes, the Security Council determines which candidate it will recommend to the General Assembly for approval.
Seven candidates are vying for the position of UN Secretary-General:
- Michelle Bachelet—former President of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights;
- María Fernanda Espinosa — former President of the UN General Assembly, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ecuador;
- Rafael Mariano Grossi — Director General of the IAEA (Argentina);
- Rebecca Greenspan — Secretary-General of UNCTAD, former Vice President of Costa Rica;
- Olara Otunnu — former Deputy Secretary-General of the UN (Uganda);
- Carolyn Rodriguez-Birkett — Permanent Representative of Guyana to the UN;
- Macky Sall — former President of Senegal.
The successor to António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, will be tasked with revitalizing the organization
This was reported by the UN website and The National.
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