Home Germany Loses UN Security Council Seat

Germany Loses UN Security Council Seat

June 3, 2026

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul casts his vote during the election of the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York City on June 3, 2026. The UN General Assembly is voting on five non-permanent Security Council members and their two year terms will run from January 2027 to December 2028. (Photo by kena betancur / AFP)

Germany has failed to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the first time, after losing out in Wednesday’s vote to Portugal and Austria for the Western European seats beginning in 2027.

The United Nations Security Council consists of 15 members, including five permanent members (the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom) and 10 elected members serving staggered two-year terms, with seats distributed across global regions.

In secret voting by the UN General Assembly, Portugal and Austria secured 134 and 131 votes, respectively, while Germany received 104 votes.

Germany, which has previously served six terms on the council, is Europe’s largest economy and widely regarded as a key political and security player on the continent.

Elsewhere in the elections, Zimbabwe, which was the only candidate for an African seat, was elected with 182 votes, while Trinidad and Tobago, also unopposed, secured the Latin American and Caribbean seat with 181 votes.

A second round of voting is still ongoing to decide between the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan for the remaining Asian seat.

The five newly elected members will replace Pakistan, Somalia, Greece, Denmark and Panama, beginning January 1, 2027, and will join five other non-permanent members elected for the 2026-2027 term.