UN begins process to choose next secretary-general

Harry Archie July 30, 2026

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The United Nations Security Council has started the process of selecting the next UN secretary-general, holding its first informal vote to measure support for the seven candidates.

The secret “straw poll” took place on Thursday, but Security Council members did not reveal the results.

The next UN chief will replace António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026.

The seven candidates are Michelle Bachelet of Chile, María Fernanda Espinosa of Ecuador, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, Olara Otunnu of Uganda, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett of Guyana and Macky Sall of Senegal.

Although Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is widely known, diplomats say there is no clear frontrunner and the selection process could take several months.

The president of the Security Council, Zenon Ngay Mukongo, said the results of the first vote would remain confidential, with only the candidates’ home countries being informed. A second round of voting is expected soon.

To become secretary-general, a candidate must secure at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom.

The successful candidate will then be recommended to the UN General Assembly for final approval.

During the straw poll, each Security Council member anonymously marks every candidate as “encourage”, “discourage” or “no opinion”. The process helps identify candidates with broad support before formal voting begins.

Many UN member states are calling for the organisation to appoint its first female secretary-general. Since it is also Latin America’s turn under the UN’s informal regional rotation, many diplomats believe the next leader is likely to come from the region.