The United Nations Security Council will convene on Friday for a second round of ‘straw polls’ to select the organization’s next Secretary-General amid a competitive field of eight candidates and international divisions that could prolong the selection process for months.
The race includes three male and five female contenders vying to succeed current Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term concludes on December 31, 2026.
During a closed session, the 15 members of the Security Council will evaluate each candidate using three options: 'encourage,' 'discourage,' or 'no opinion,' with the voting and countries' identities remaining confidential.
In the initial poll conducted on July 30, former Vice President of Costa Rica and current head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Rebeca Grynspan, received the highest number of encouragement votes.
The list of contenders also includes former Guyana Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, Ecuadorian María Fernanda Espinosa, diplomat Ivonne A-Baki, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Ugandan Olara Otunnu.
A candidate must secure the support of at least 9 Security Council members while avoiding a veto from any of the five permanent members to have their name forwarded to the General Assembly for confirmation.
There is notable interest in the potential selection of a woman for the first time in the organization’s history. Additionally, the geopolitical tradition of rotating geographic regions suggests the possibility of a nominee from Latin America.
However, the race remains open, as the five permanent members have yet to disclose their preferred candidates, and Russia has hinted at the possibility of new names emerging in the coming period.