Latest UN Secretary-General Straw Poll Shows No Candidate Has Veto Power Support

A recent straw poll in the selection of the next U.N. secretary-general revealed that none of the seven candidates have secured the backing of all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

The latest straw poll in the selection of the next United Nations secretary-general showed that none of the seven candidates currently holds the support of all five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. This outcome leaves the door open for new contenders if the active candidates fail to win over the veto-wielding nations in the race to succeed António Guterres, who has led the global body for nearly a decade.

During the secret ballot, 15 council members voted to encourage or discourage the candidates or express no opinion. This session marked the first time red ballots were used to distinguish votes cast by the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France. The three leading candidates—Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana—each received two red discourage votes, according to two diplomats speaking on condition of anonymity.

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Grynspan remained at the top of the polling with nine encourage votes, maintaining her lead as a former Costa Rican vice president. Meanwhile, U.S. officials have indicated that none of the current candidates are ideal from the perspective of the administration, which has focused heavily on reforming the global body and withdrawing from multiple agencies. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz emphasized the need for energetic leadership focused strictly on peace and security.

By tradition, the position of secretary-general rotates by region, with this cycle designated for Latin America alongside a push to select the organization’s first female leader. At the bottom of the straw poll were female candidates Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Ivonne A-Baki, alongside African contenders Olara Otunnu of Uganda and Macky Sall of Senegal. Diplomats confirmed that another straw poll utilizing red ballots is scheduled for the following week.

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