From candidate nominations to final approval: How the next UN secretary-general will be picked

From candidate nominations to final approval: How the next UN secretary-general will be picked
From candidate nominations to final approval: How the next UN secretary-general will be picked - Seven candidates, including Uganda's Olara Otunnu, are competing to succeed Antonio Guterres as the UN Security Council begins secret voting on July 30. (Photo: X/United Nations)
Seven candidates, including Uganda's Olara Otunnu, are competing to succeed Antonio Guterres as the UN Security Council begins secret voting on July 30. (Photo: X/United Nations)

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Six candidates enter race to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General

Bashir Mbuthia  ·  3 days ago
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The 15-member UN Security Council will begin secret ballots on July 30 to select a successor to Antonio Guterres, with seven candidates competing for the top job.

The race to choose the next United Nations secretary-general will enter the voting stage on July 30, when the Security Council begins a series of secret ballots to select a successor to Antonio Guterres.
The 15-member council will hold multiple rounds of voting until one candidate secures the required support without being vetoed by any of the five permanent members.
The successful candidate will then be presented to the UN General Assembly for formal approval.

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Seven candidates are vying to lead the global body: Uganda’s Olara Otunnu, Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Senegal’s Macky Sall.
The process will begin with a “straw poll”, in which Security Council members will privately indicate their preferred candidate during a closed-door session. The anonymous vote allows members to gauge each candidate’s level of support before proceeding to further rounds.
The Security Council consists of 15 members, including five permanent members — the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia — and 10 elected members. The permanent members each hold veto powers, allowing them to block any candidate from advancing even if the candidate has enough support from the rest of the council.

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To be selected, a candidate must receive at least nine votes from the Security Council and must not be opposed by any of the five permanent members.
The initial straw poll will be followed by an unspecified number of additional secret ballots until one candidate wins the necessary backing and avoids a veto.
Once the Security Council agrees on a nominee, the name will be forwarded to the UN General Assembly for formal appointment.
The General Assembly will then approve the candidate, who will begin a five-year term on January 1, 2027, succeeding outgoing Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term ends on December 31.
Otunnu became the latest entrant after Uganda formally submitted his candidacy. The 75-year-old former Ugandan opposition presidential candidate previously served as Uganda’s ambassador to the United Nations and briefly held the position of foreign minister.
He contested Uganda’s 2011 presidential election on the Uganda People’s Congress ticket but lost to longtime President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986.
The candidates took part in a televised debate on Thursday as part of preparations for the selection process.

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