Diplomatic source: All candidates for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations face a veto

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On Friday, all candidates for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations faced a “veto” from one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, according to what Agence France-Presse reported, citing a diplomatic source.

At the conclusion of the “exploratory vote”, none of the seven candidates gained the approval of the five major powers that have veto power, which opens the door to the possibility of presenting new nominations.

So far, four women and three men have run for the position to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. The candidates are Chilean Michelle Bachelet, Ecuadorian Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Costa Rican Rebecca Greenspan, Guyanese Caroline Rodriguez-Birkett, Argentine Rafael Grossi, and Ugandan Olara Otono. And Senegalese Macky Sall.

In order for a candidate to win the vote, he must obtain the support of nine of the member states of the 15-member Security Council, while also avoiding the veto of any of the five major powers, which are widely divided in light of the current international situation.

The five permanent members of the Security Council are the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom.