New York, New York - The UN's most powerful body, the Security Council, met Friday for another straw poll to gauge the popularity of a growing field of contenders to succeed Antonio Guterres as the embattled organization's next secretary-general.
Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan was the front-runner last month when the 15-member Security Council held a first informal vote, behind closed doors and by secret ballot.
Other candidates include Argentina's Rafael Grossi – the current head of the UN nuclear watchdog – Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Uganda's Olara Otunnu, and Senegal's Macky Sall.
Since the first straw poll, Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki has thrown her hat into the race to succeed Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026.
"The candidates will be informed of the results through the respective permanent representatives of nominating member states... That's all I have to say today," said Denmark's UN ambassador Christina Lassen, whose country holds the Council's rotating presidency.
She said the Council was considering the timing of the next straw poll.
"It's too early to have a consensus," said council-member Democratic Republic of Congo's ambassador Zenon Ngay Mukongo after the vote.
International Crisis Group's Daniel Forti said ahead of the vote that the veto-wielding nations – Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US – might wait until later to express their preferences, while new contenders could emerge.
Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said Thursday he could not rule out that possibility.
"If, for example – I'm speculating now – if there is a deadlock on any of the candidates we are seeing today, if nobody... flies, then I think that we may see other candidates as well," Nebenzia said.
Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15 available in the Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by the five major powers, which are deeply divided.
Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all UN members for confirmation.