Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett has taken the lead in the contest to become the next United Nations secretary-general, following the Security Council's second secret straw poll held on Friday, August 21. Rodrigues Birkett received eight encourage votes, three discourage and four no opinion from Council members, placing her just ahead of Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, who had led the first round of polls held on July 30.
How the candidates fared in the second straw poll
Grynspan drew seven encourage, four discourage and four no opinion ballots in the latest round, down from 10 encourage votes in July. According to Pass Blue, Argentina's Rafael Grossi also received seven encourage votes but was held back by six discourage and two no opinion ballots. Senegal's Macky Sall drew six encourage votes alongside seven discourage and two no opinion. Uganda's Olara Otunnu received five encourage, five discourage and five no opinion votes.
Ecuador's María Fernanda Espinosa, nominated by Antigua and Barbuda, got four encourage votes, three discourage and eight no opinion. Chile's Michelle Bachelet, backed by Brazil and Mexico, drew just two encourage votes, six discourage and seven no opinion. Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki, nominated by Tonga and entering the race after the first poll, received no encourage votes, eight discourage and seven no opinion.
No candidate reaches the required nine votes
None of the eight candidates reached the nine affirmative votes required under Article 27 of the UN Charter for a substantive Council decision, which must also include the agreement of all five permanent members.
Otunnu's performance was among the most notable shifts of the round. Having held his interactive dialogue with the General Assembly on August 20, the Ugandan candidate more than doubled his encourage votes from two in July to five on August 21, with several of his earlier no-opinion ballots converting into support.
Bachelet's sharp drop and Otunnu's rise
Bachelet experienced the steepest decline, falling from six encourage votes in July to just two. A-Baki's debut on the ballot produced the weakest showing of any candidate in either round, with no member encouraging her candidacy.
Daniel Forti, head of UN affairs at the International Crisis Group, said the shifting numbers reflected the permanent five members beginning to show their preferences more openly. "No candidate has commanded a significant majority of Council members after two polls, which may convince other potential candidates that they now have an opportunity to jump into the race," Forti added.
Otunnu calls for UN reform in secretary-general race
Legit.ng earlier reported that Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu joined seven other candidates on August 19 in addressing UN member states and civil society groups, making his case to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres when his tenure ends at the close of the year.
Otunnu, a former UN under-secretary-general who previously served as the body's special representative for children and armed conflict, framed his pitch around moral renewal and structural reform of the United Nations. Drawing on the Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, he spoke of the UN's role in healing a world increasingly pulled apart.
