UN Security Council conducts second straw poll for Secretary-General candidates

The United Nations Security Council held its second indicative straw poll on Friday to evaluate candidates vying to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term concludes on December 31, 2026. The 15-member council used secret ballots to mark candidates as "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion" to determine the field of potential leaders.

Results from the second round placed Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana in the lead with eight "encourage" votes, despite a slight decline from her previous performance. Former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, who led the initial July 30 vote, followed with seven "encourage" votes, a decrease from ten in the previous round. Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, maintained seven "encourage" votes but faced a rise in "discourage" tallies. Analysts from the International Crisis Group noted that this phase of the process is intended to gauge momentum and may lead some candidates to withdraw as the council narrows its selection criteria.

Candidates are competing to lead the UN through a period of deep internal division. The Security Council is expected to hold further rounds of voting to reach a consensus, though the timeline for the final nomination remains subject to ongoing diplomatic negotiations.