UN holds second straw poll in race to succeed Guterres

The UN Security Council held a second non-binding straw poll Friday as the race to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres moves into its next stage.

Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, Denmark’s permanent representative to the UN and president of the Security Council for August, confirmed that the second round had been completed.

“The second round of straw polls has taken place,” Lassen told reporters.

She said candidates would receive the results through the permanent representatives of the member states that nominated them, while the president of the UN General Assembly would also be informed that the poll had concluded.

The secret straw polls are designed to gauge support among the 15 Security Council members and potentially narrow the field before a formal recommendation is made to the General Assembly.

A candidate needs at least nine votes in the Security Council to secure the required support, while any of the five permanent members – the US, China, France, Russia and the UK – can block a candidate with a veto.

The eventual nominee must be appointed by the General Assembly, with that step generally considered a formality once the Security Council has reached agreement.

Guterres’ term ends on Dec. 31.

Eight candidates have so far been nominated: Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan; International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi of Argentina; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; Guyana’s UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett; former UN General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador; former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; Ugandan politician and diplomat Olara Otunnu; and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki.