By Sofiat Adenekan-Abdul
The United Nations Security Council is set to hold a second informal straw poll on Friday to gauge support for candidates seeking to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the early front-runner after the first poll held in July, which saw the council’s 15 members, including the five permanent members with veto power, assess the candidates through a secret ballot.
Other candidates include Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Uganda’s Olara Otunnu and Senegal’s Macky Sall.
Ecuador’s Ivonne A-Baki entered the race after the first straw poll, expanding an already competitive field.
The winner will need at least nine votes from the 15-member council and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Analysts expect Friday’s vote to provide further indications of the direction of the race, although no candidate is expected to secure a decisive advantage at this stage.
International Crisis Group analyst Daniel Forti said diplomats would be watching whether the early front-runners strengthen their support or lose ground.
Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, also suggested that additional candidates could emerge if the current field fails to break the deadlock.
Once a candidate secures the required Security Council backing without facing a veto, the nomination will be forwarded to the UN General Assembly for confirmation.
The straw poll process was introduced in the early 1980s to help resolve disagreements over the selection of a secretary-general and has continued despite criticism over its lack of transparency.
