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UN Security Council Straw Poll Leaves Grynspan, Grossi, Rodrigues Birkett Without Five-Power Support
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None of seven candidates secured five-permanent-member consensus in the latest straw poll. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan remains frontrunner despite vetoes from permanent members.
8 outlets told this the same way.
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UN chief race deadlocked
The UN Security Council held a straw poll on Friday and showed that none of the seven candidates for the next UN secretary-general has the support of all five permanent members with veto power, leaving the door open for new candidates. The process left Rebeca Grynspan, Rafael Grossi, and Guyana’s U.N. ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett as the three leading candidates, with each receiving two red “discourage” votes, while Grynspan remained at the top with nine “encourage” votes. The vote used red ballots to distinguish votes from the five powers, and the 15 council members voted to “encourage” or “discourage” the seven candidates or express “no opinion” in a secret poll.
Mike Waltz told reporters as he left the closed council meeting that the UN needs “strong, energetic leadership” to take the 193-member world body back to peace and security. The selection race also faced pressure to pick a woman, and Waltz said, “Of course, if the best candidate is a woman, we would welcome that.”
Vetoes block consensus
A diplomat said all seven candidates failed to win consensus after facing a veto from one of the permanent members, and the straw poll left none of the seven candidates approved by the five permanent members.
The same diplomat said the informal poll was the first time that Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States used colored straws to indicate vetoes, while the 10 elected members continued to use plain markers.
Mike Hammer refused to comment on U.S. media reports about opposition in Washington and said, “We have always said we simply want the best candidate.”
W. Nathalat said it is a sovereign right of countries “to nominate additional candidates if they wish,” after the poll opened the door to new nominations.
The straw poll framework required a candidate to secure support of 9 of the 15 Security Council members while also avoiding a veto from the five major powers, which the sources described as sharply divided.
Next steps and timelines
The sources said the next straw poll with red ballots will be held next week, and both Waltz and Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia left open the possibility of new candidates.
Waltz said, “We're going to get this done, I'm confident, before the end of the year,” while Nebenzia said, “That is my wish, definitely,” as the race continued without any candidate withdrawing.
The election rules described in the reporting required a candidate to receive support from at least nine members of the Council, five of whom are permanent, before the name goes to the General Assembly for final approval.
The sources also said António Guterres, who has led the United Nations for almost 10 years, will leave the post at the end of this year, and the second term is described as expiring on December 31, 2026.
The reporting framed the stakes as a choice of a successor for the UN secretary-general, with the job expected to return to a Latin American candidate and with pressure to pick a woman, while the permanent members remained divided.