António Guterres May Be the Next UN Chief
Former Portuguese Prime Minister António Guterres is expected to become the next United Nations Secretary-General.
According to a UN communiqué released Wednesday, Mr. Guterres has emerged as the clear favourite to take the position of UN chief, following the sixth secret ballot held Wednesday by the UN Security Council.
The Security Council is expected to take a formal decision today and forward Mr. Guterres’ name to the 193-Member General Assembly for final confirmation.
On behalf of the Security Council, the Permanent Representative of Russia, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, informed Peter Thomson, the President of the UN General Assembly, that Mr. Guterres has emerged as the unanimous choice among the Council’s 15 members.
Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of Russia, along with other members of the Security Council, announce the result of the straw poll on selecting the next Secretary-General of the United Nations. Credit: UN News Centre
The sixth informal and first colour-coded straw poll of the Security Council for the position of Secretary-General took place on Wednesday.
Ambassador Churkin told President Thomson that the Security Council will meet today (6 October) to take a formal vote which is expected to pass by acclamation.
The President said he was ready to proceed with the process of appointing the next Secretary-General in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
In addition to Mr. Guterres, who served as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees from 2005 to 2015, 12 other candidates were in the running to succeed the current UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, who leaves office at the end of the year.
