First Security Council Straw Poll Marks Next Stage in Selection of the United Nations Secretary-General

The United Nations Security Council held its first informal straw poll on 30 July, marking the beginning of the confidential phase of the selection process for the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. The non-binding vote offers Council members an initial opportunity to gauge levels of support for the official candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second term concludes at the end of 2026.

The straw poll is conducted by secret ballot and allows each of the Security Council's 15 members to indicate whether they "encourage", "discourage", or have "no opinion" regarding each candidate. At this stage, all ballots are identical, meaning the results do not reveal whether any discouraging votes originate from one of the Council's five permanent members, whose veto power becomes more visible in later rounds through the use of colour-coded ballots.

According to diplomatic sources, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica emerged as the leading candidate in the first round, receiving 10 "encourage" votes, one "discourage" vote, and four "no opinion" responses. She was followed by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana, who received nine encourages, two discourages, and four no opinions, and Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina, who secured seven encourages, two discourages, and six no opinions.

Among the remaining candidates, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet received six encourage votes, five discourage votes, and four no opinions, while former Senegalese President Macky Sall also received six encourage votes, together with seven discourage votes and two no opinions. Former President of the United Nations General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa obtained five encourages, two discourages, and eight no opinions, reflecting relatively limited opposition but also a significant number of undecided positions. Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who entered the race more recently, received two encourage votes, five discourage votes, and eight no opinions.

As the election process continues to evolve, GWL Voices will remain monitoring and informing about developments and providing updates on the race for the Next United Nations Secretary General.