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The United Nations (UN) Security Council met on Friday for a third round of secret straw polls to evaluate candidates vying to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres at the end of December.
Council President Jérôme Bonnafont confirmed the voting process was complete, though officials said there were no immediate results.
Eight candidates remain in the race as world leaders gather for the annual UN General Assembly, with several council members advocating for the appointment of the organisation’s first female leader.
Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett narrowly led the second round of voting, followed by Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and Argentina’s International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Rafael Grossi.
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall, Chilean ex-President Michelle Bachelet, and former UN General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa also feature among the active contenders.
Diplomats caution that the five permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States—could still introduce a compromise candidate, raising transparency concerns among other member nations.
To win the nomination, a candidate must secure at least nine votes from the 15-member council without facing a veto from any of the five permanent members.
The council utilises colour-coded ballots during later voting rounds to identify potential vetoes before submitting a single nominee to the General Assembly for final confirmation.
Meanwhile, US officials have demanded that the next leader focus strictly on international peace and security, while political analysts expect additional straw polls following the high-level UN assembly meetings.
