UN Security Council holds second vote to choose the next secretary-general

Friday 21 August 2026 - 12:00

By: Azzat Manal

UN Security Council holds second vote to choose the next secretary-general

The United Nations Security Council is holding a second round of an informal indicative vote as the selection process for the organization’s next secretary-general moves forward amid deep divisions among member states.

Eight candidates are currently in the race to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. The group includes three men and five women, with several candidates from Latin America and other regions competing for the top UN post.

The 15 members of the Security Council are meeting behind closed doors to assess each candidate through three options: “encourage,” “discourage” or “no opinion.” The identities of individual voters remain confidential, making the process difficult to assess from outside.

In the first straw poll, held on July 30, former Costa Rican vice president and UN Trade and Development chief Rebeca Grynspan received the strongest level of support. She was followed by former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi.

The selection comes at a particularly challenging moment for the United Nations. The organization is facing growing geopolitical divisions, financial pressures and criticism over its ability to respond effectively to major international crises.

The next secretary-general will also have to navigate increasingly difficult relations among the five permanent members of the Security Council: the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Any candidate ultimately recommended by the council must secure at least nine votes and avoid a veto from any of these five powers.

If the Security Council reaches agreement, the candidate will be formally recommended to the UN General Assembly, where all member states will vote on the appointment.

Regional considerations are also expected to play an important role. Based on the informal tradition of geographical rotation, Latin America is widely viewed as the region most likely to produce the next secretary-general. Several countries are also advocating for the appointment of a woman, which would be a historic first for the United Nations.

Other candidates include former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Ecuadorian diplomat María Fernanda Espinosa, Ugandan politician Olara Otunnu, former Senegalese president Macky Sall and Ecuadorian-Lebanese diplomat Ivonne Abd El Dayem, alongside Grynspan, Rodrigues-Birkett and Grossi.

Despite Grossi’s international profile, diplomats and observers say no candidate has established a decisive advantage. The process could therefore continue for several months, particularly because the preferences of the five permanent Security Council members remain uncertain.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia has also indicated that additional candidates could still enter the race, underscoring the uncertainty surrounding the final outcome.

The selection of Guterres’s successor is therefore likely to become a major diplomatic test for the United Nations, with the next secretary-general expected to confront conflicts, financial constraints and renewed debates over the future of multilateral cooperation.