Security Council poll leaves all seven secretary-general candidates short of full backing

The UN Security Council’s informal poll found that none of the seven candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres had support from all five permanent members, leaving the selection unresolved. A diplomat said each candidate faced a veto from one of those members. The poll was secret, and the reported outcome does not identify which permanent member opposed each candidate.

The 15 council members were asked to mark “encourage,” “discourage” or “no opinion” for each candidate. Rafael Grossi and Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett each received two “discourage” votes and were among the three leading candidates. The account does not give the full vote totals or identify the third leading candidate. No candidate had withdrawn as the race continued.

Mike Waltz said the United Nations needs “strong, energetic leadership.” He also said the United States would welcome a woman as secretary-general if she were the best candidate. His remarks set out the U.S. position on leadership and gender, but the reported poll result indicates that no candidate had secured backing across all five permanent members.

Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s ambassador to the United Nations, made a separate case for representation and regional rotation. She said selecting no woman would send a negative message, while stressing that she was seeking the role on her ability and competence rather than her gender.

She also called for respect for the rotation principle, under which a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean is due to take the post. The accounts emphasize different parts of the contest. The poll report focuses on the candidates’ lack of support from all five permanent members, the veto barrier described by a diplomat, and the U.S. position stated by Waltz.

Mercopress foregrounds Rodrigues-Birkett’s arguments about gender equality and the regional rotation principle. These are distinct considerations in the selection; the reporting does not establish that either determines how council members will vote. The timing matters because Guterres is due to leave the secretary-general post at the end of the year.

The poll has exposed that none of the seven candidates has the support of all five permanent members, but the report does not show which candidate, if any, can overcome that obstacle. The process therefore remains open, with no withdrawal reported and no successor identified.

The immediate questions are whether candidates can build support among the permanent members and whether the council will settle on a successor before Guterres leaves.

The reported poll gives a snapshot of opposition, not a final selection: members could express encouragement, discouragement or no opinion, and the account does not provide candidate-by-candidate tallies beyond the two discouragement votes each received by Grossi and Rodrigues Birkett.