The National Newspaper reported on Thursday, November 5 that Rebecca Greenspan, the former vice president of Costa Rica, strengthened her position at the top of the race by winning 12 votes to three in the eighth informal vote of the Security Council to select the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. He had 11 upvotes in the previous round.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and Argentina's candidate, came second with nine votes in favor, four votes against and two abstentions. The Guyanese candidate, Carolyn Rodriguez-Brackett, finished in third place with eight votes in favor, five against and two abstentions.
Lana Nasiba, the candidate of the United Arab Emirates, remained in fourth place with seven votes in favor, six votes against and two abstentions. Turkey's candidate, Feridon Sinirlioglu, also received three votes in favor, eight votes against and four abstentions in his first appearance in this vote. The vote was held on Thursday with identical ballots; As a result, it is unclear whether the votes against the candidates belonged to the five permanent members of the Security Council with veto rights or to non-permanent members. The United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom can each block the election of a candidate at the official stage.
Antonio Guterres, the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, will complete his second five-year term at the end of December 2026. In the next round of voting, the use of colored ballots again is expected to determine whether the opposition to the leading candidates comes from the permanent members of the Security Council or from the elected members.