Security Council holds first informal vote to select next UN Secretary-General

The UN Security Council is set to hold its first informal vote today, Thursday, to gauge the level of support for candidates vying for the position of the next UN Secretary-General.

Zenon Mukongo Ngai, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s ambassador to the United Nations, said the vote scheduled for Thursday morning in New York aims to provide an early indicator of who might succeed António Guterres when his term ends in January 2027.

The Security Council is responsible for selecting the candidate for the post, as any nominee must secure the support of at least nine of the Council’s 15 members, while any of the five permanent members can block the nomination by exercising their veto power.

The winning candidate is then referred to the UN General Assembly for approval, a step traditionally considered a formality.