All seven candidates seeking to become the next United Nations secretary-general have faced opposition from permanent Security Council members.
The latest informal vote took place on Friday, October 16. It marked a major setback in the race to replace António Guterres.
According to AFP, every candidate received at least one negative vote from a permanent member of the Security Council.
However, the results do not mean that the candidates have been formally eliminated.
UN leadership race faces new deadlock
The UN Security Council has 15 members. Five countries hold permanent seats and veto powers.
These countries are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
During informal voting, members can encourage or discourage candidates. They can also express no opinion.
In the latest round, permanent members used coloured ballots to identify their votes.
As a result, diplomats could distinguish opposition from permanent members from that of elected members.
Every candidate received at least one negative vote from a permanent member.
However, these informal votes do not constitute a final decision.
Senegal and Uganda remain in the race
Two African candidates are among those seeking the UN’s top position.
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is competing for the role.
Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu is also a candidate.
Otunnu previously served as the UN special representative for children and armed conflict.
Both remain in the contest despite the latest voting results.
However, the report did not provide individual vote totals for the two African candidates.
Costa Rica’s candidate leads voting
Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan received the most encouraging votes in the latest round.
She also performed strongly in earlier informal polls.
However, she received five negative votes on Friday.
Two of those votes came from permanent Security Council members.
Therefore, her strong overall support has not yet secured a clear path to the position.
Meanwhile, US media reports suggest that Washington opposes all seven candidates.
The United States has not publicly confirmed that position.
US Ambassador Mike Waltz declined to comment on the reports.
He said Washington wanted the best candidate for the position.
Could new candidates enter the race?
The deadlock has raised questions about whether additional candidates could join.
Diplomats have mentioned several possible names.
These include Nickolay Mladenov, Lana Nusseibeh and Turkish diplomat Feridun Hadi Sinirlioğlu.
However, the report did not confirm that any of them had formally entered the contest.
The existing candidates also include Argentina’s Rafael Grossi and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
Ecuador’s Ivonne A-Baki and María Fernanda Espinosa are also competing.
How is the next UN chief selected?
The Security Council must recommend a candidate before the General Assembly can appoint the next secretary-general.
A successful candidate needs at least nine votes from the council’s 15 members.
In addition, none of the five permanent members can block the recommendation.
The General Assembly then considers the recommended candidate.
Traditionally, the position rotates between world regions.
This time, many diplomats expect a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean.
However, the tradition does not prevent candidates from other regions from competing.
What happens next?
Guterres is due to complete his second five-year term on December 31, 2026.
Therefore, UN members face growing pressure to agree on his successor.
Further discussions and informal voting could help narrow the field.
New candidates could also emerge if the deadlock continues.
For now, the latest results show that no contender has secured the support needed to become the next UN chief.