UN Security Council deadlocked over next secretary-general election

The United Nations Security Council is currently deadlocked in the election for the next secretary-general, with the top three candidates each receiving two negative votes from permanent members, according to morungexpress.com.

In a recent straw poll, UNCTAD head Rebecca Grynspan led slightly with nine positive votes but also had five negatives and one neutral. Former Guyana Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birket and International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi also received two negative votes each from permanent members.

This was the sixth round of informal, anonymous voting by the Security Council to gauge support for seven candidates. The poll was the first to use color-coded votes to distinguish permanent members’ positions, though the results were leaked to media outlets covering the UN.

With the top three candidates opposed by two permanent members each, serious negotiations are expected to begin among the veto-wielding members and between candidates and permanent members. The candidate who secures ten votes without a veto will be recommended to the General Assembly for approval, which usually follows the Council’s unanimous recommendation.