Guyana's Rodríguez-Birkett leads UN chief vote
Caroline Rodríguez-Birkett, candidate from Guyana, leads in the UN Secretary-General race following a preliminary vote by the UN Security Council on August 21, receiving eight votes in favor, three against, and four abstentions.
Consensus
- A preliminary vote was held in the UN Security Council on August 21 regarding the next UN Secretary-General.
- Caroline Rodríguez-Birkett from Guyana received the most support among candidates.
- The vote was non-official and pre-voting, with eight members supporting Rodríguez-Birkett.
- Three members voted against her, and four abstained.
- The current UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, will serve until December 31, 2026.
- The vote was part of a process to select a successor to Guterres.
Points of divergence
- Rebeca González of UNCTAD received seven votes in favor and four against, placing second. — vm
- Rafael Grossi of IAEA received seven votes in favor but six votes against. — vm
- Maki Thiam of Senegal received six votes in favor, Olara Otunnu of Uganda five, and María Fernanda Espinoza Gárces of Ecuador four. — vm
- Michelle Bachelet received two votes in favor, while Yvonne Baki received zero votes. — vm
- Yvonne Baki made statements about Russia, including calling for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow and proposing non-membership of Ukraine in NATO as a condition for resolving the Ukrainian crisis. — vm
- Yvonne Baki stated she loves Russia, studied Russian for three years, visited the country multiple times, and described its culture as 'amazing'. — vm
- The current UN Secretary-General, António Gutterres, said the UN is gradually losing relevance and slowly dying. — kommersant
Coverage (3 sources)
- TASS: In the vote for the UN Secretary-General post, Caroline Rodriguez-Birquet leads — Коммерсантъ
- Candidate from Guyana Carolin Rodriguez-Birckett leads in voting for UN Secretary-General post. This is evidenced by received... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Carolyn Rodriguez-Birckett leads the vote for UN Secretary-General post — Вечерняя Москва