In brief
During the November session, the Security Council conducted its eighth straw poll to gauge support for candidates to succeed Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres. Informal, closed‑door, the poll required nine "encouraged" votes and no "discouraged" votes from any of the five permanent members. Although the official results are not released, Rebeca Grynspan appears to lead the field, and the council will move toward a recommendation for the General Assembly as the new Secretary‑General assumes office on 1 January 2027.
On Thursday, during its November session under Latvia’s rotating presidency, the United Nations Security Council conducted its eighth informal straw poll to assess support for candidates to succeed Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres.
In a brief statement, Latvia’s ambassador Sanita Pavluta‑Deslandes confirmed the poll’s completion.
The eighth round of straw polls has taken place,she told reporters after the secret vote concluded.
The vote is closed‑door and informal, with each council member receiving a single ballot for every candidate. The ballot lists the name followed by “encouraged,” “discouraged,” or “no opinion expressed.” For a candidate to be recommended, they must secure at least nine "encouraged" votes and receive no "discouraged" votes from any of the five permanent members.
Eight candidates entered the race for this session. The new entrants were United Arab Emirates diplomat Lana Nusseibeh and former Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu. The other six included former Ecuadorian minister and diplomat Ivonne A‑Baki, former UN General Assembly president and former Ecuadorian foreign and defense minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, current IAEA director‑general Rafael Grossi, and Costa Rican former vice‑president Rebeca Grynspan.
While the Security Council will notify each candidate’s nominated permanent representative of the poll outcomes, the results are not made public. According to the report, Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the front‑runner, but no official numbers have been released and no candidate has yet reached the threshold of nine "encouraged" votes with zero "discouraged" votes from the P5.
Once a candidate satisfies the Security Council criteria, they will be recommended to the General Assembly for appointment. The new Secretary‑General is expected to assume office on 1 January 2027, following the conclusion of Guterres’ current term.
Uncertainties remain: the poll’s detailed results are confidential, the required nine encouraged votes and zero discouraged votes from the permanent members have not yet been confirmed, and the final recommendation to the General Assembly has not been announced. The outcome of the next steps in the selection process remains unknown.
