Turkey nominates Feridun Sinirlioglu for UN Secretary-General as voting reaches seventh round

The United Nations Security Council conducted its seventh informal vote to select the next Secretary-General on October 30, 2026, held under the Greek presidency. The ballot included seven candidates, featuring the first-time entry of Lana Zaki Nusseibeh from the United Arab Emirates. During this round, which utilized uniform ballots without distinguishing between permanent and elected members, Rebeca Grynspan consolidated her lead with 11 encouragement votes and four discouragement votes. Rafael Grossi followed with nine encouragement votes, while Nusseibeh secured seven in her debut appearance.

Following the vote, Turkey officially announced the candidacy of diplomat Feridun Sinirlioglu. Permanent Representative Ahmet Yildiz submitted the nomination via a letter from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that the move aims to overcome the deadlock in the selection process, noting that while Turkey respects the tradition of rotating candidates from Latin America and the Caribbean, the current impasse necessitated new diplomatic intervention. Sinirlioglu has subsequently released a vision document titled 'Protecting Multilateralism and Building Bridges,' prioritizing conflict prevention and UN reform.

The search for a successor to Antonio Guterres remains ongoing, with member states continuing to evaluate candidates based on informal voting rounds. No final recommendation has been made to the General Assembly yet, as deliberations continue among Security Council members.