Guyana’s Rodrigues Birkett leads informal poll in race to be next UN leader

What the report says

The UN Security Council held its second non-binding straw poll on Friday in the contest to choose the next UN secretary-general, with Guyana’s Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett emerging as the leading candidate. According to results circulated after the vote, she received eight “encourage” votes, three “discourage” votes and four no-opinion responses, placing her slightly ahead of the field of eight declared candidates.

The closest challengers were Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Rafael Grossi of Argentina, who each received seven encourage votes. Grossi had six discourage votes, while Grynspan had four. Al Jazeera reported that Grynspan had led after the first round in July. Other candidates include former Senegalese President Macky Sall, former Ecuadorian UN General Assembly president Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki.

The council’s August president, Denmark’s Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, confirmed the poll had concluded. These secret ballots are used to narrow the field and test support among the 15 council members before a formal recommendation is sent to the UN General Assembly, which usually endorses the council’s choice. A formal vote requires at least nine supportive votes and can be blocked by any permanent member.

The current secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, is due to finish his second term on December 31. The next leader will inherit a UN under pressure to prove its relevance amid major global conflicts and disputes, a broader backdrop that Al Jazeera noted in its report.