UN Security Council holds informal poll for next secretary-general
The Security Council begins informal voting Thursday to gauge support for the seven candidates vying to succeed Antonio Guterres as UN secretary-general.
Key Takeaways
AIThe United Nations Security Council will begin a preliminary round of informal, closed-door voting on Thursday to assess the level of support for the seven current candidates competing to become the next UN secretary-general.
The candidates hail from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Senegal, and Uganda, all seeking to succeed Portugal's Antonio Guterres, who will step down at the end of this year after serving two consecutive five-year terms.
The next secretary-general will face major challenges, including revitalizing a United Nations that has seen its global standing decline amid ongoing crises, as well as mounting pressure to reform its sprawling bureaucracy and reduce duplication across its many agencies.
Voting process and timeline
The informal polls are non-binding secret ballots conducted by the Council's 15 members, who indicate for each candidate whether they "support," "do not support," or have "no opinion," with no outside observers present.
No candidate has emerged as a clear frontrunner so far, and past experience suggests that multiple rounds of voting could continue throughout the summer. The process may conclude in late September or early October, or extend further if no consensus candidate emerges.