UN Holds First Straw Poll To Choose Guterres Successor

By Staff, Agencies

The United Nations will begin the formal process of selecting a successor to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, as the Security Council holds its first confidential straw poll to gauge support for seven declared candidates, according to Reuters.

Guterres, who has led the UN since 2017, is due to leave office at the end of December after serving two five-year terms.

The closed-door vote is expected to offer the first indication of which candidates enjoy broad backing among the Security Council's 15 members and which may face opposition.

The candidates include International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi of Argentina, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and veteran Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu. Additional candidates may still enter the race before a final decision is made.

Unlike a formal vote, the straw poll does not select or eliminate candidates. Instead, Security Council members confidentially indicate whether they "encourage," "discourage," or have "no opinion" on each contender.

During the initial rounds, identical ballots conceal whether negative votes come from elected members or the five permanent members with veto power.

In later rounds, separate ballots will distinguish the votes of permanent members, making potential vetoes more apparent.

Diplomats have not identified a clear frontrunner, raising expectations that several rounds of voting may be needed before consensus is reached.

Once agreement is achieved, the Security Council will recommend a single candidate to the 193-member UN General Assembly.

The successful nominee must secure at least nine Council votes and avoid a veto from any permanent member before the General Assembly votes on the recommendation.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which currently holds the Security Council presidency, confirmed that the first straw poll will take place Thursday and that Olara Otunnu will be included despite joining the race after informal hearings had concluded.

The next secretary-general will take office amid mounting geopolitical tensions and growing calls for UN reform.