UN Member States Seek Candidate Acceptable to P5 as Secret Ballot Begins

The first straw poll, a closed questionnaire, marks the start of a series of confidential votes that will run until the Security Council isolates a candidate who will not trigger a veto from any of the permanent members. Four of the nominees have previously headed major UN bodies – Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Michael Bachelet, former President of Chile and UN High‑Commissioner for Human Rights, Rebecca Grinspun, former UNCTAD Director and Costa Rican vice‑president, and Olara Otunnu, ex‑Under‑Secretary‑General and former Ugandan foreign minister. Additional contenders are former Guyanese foreign minister Caroline Rodrigues‑Birkett and ex‑Senegalese President Macky Sall, among others.