Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the early favourite to become the next UN Secretary-General after topping the first informal Security Council poll, indicating promising support.
The former Costa Rican vice-president finished ahead of Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, though months of voting are still expected before a successor to Antonio Guterres, who is the current UN Secretary-General, is chosen.
Grynspan received 10 “encourage” votes in the first confidential straw poll held by the Security Council on July 30, highlighting her early support, Reuters reported. Rodrigues-Birkett came second with nine positive votes, while Argentina’s Rafael Grossi finished third with seven, indicating a competitive race.
Who are the other contenders
Seven candidates are officially competing to lead the United Nations. Besides Grynspan, Rodrigues-Birkett and Grossi, the field includes:
- former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet;
- former Ecuadorian foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa;
- former Senegalese president Macky Sall;
- Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who joined the race shortly before the first poll.
How voting is done
The straw polls are held by secret ballot, with each of the Security Council’s 15 members indicating whether they “encourage”, “discourage” or have “no opinion” on every candidate. Several rounds are typically held before a clear frontrunner emerges.
In later rounds, the council’s five permanent members — China, France, Russia, the UK and the US — use different coloured ballots, revealing whether a candidate has received a potential veto.
This underscores the critical role of veto power in the selection process, which must ultimately recommend one candidate to the 193-member General Assembly, requiring at least nine votes in favour and no veto from a permanent member. The selection process is expected to continue into the autumn.
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