UN Secretary-General Vote Leaves Power With Security Council

Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan received nine “encourage” votes in the sixth U.N. Security Council straw poll for secretary-general, while two permanent members discouraged her, signaling they could oppose her in a formal vote. The secret poll took place Friday, Oct. 16. No veto was cast: straw polls are informal, and a “discourage” ballot isn’t itself a veto.

Who Holds the Decision

Article 97 of the U.N. Charter assigns the appointment to the 193-member General Assembly, but only “upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” The Council has 15 members. Under Article 27, a substantive decision requires nine affirmative votes and the concurring votes of permanent members. PassBlue and Costa Rican outlets reported that a recommendation requires at least nine “encourage” votes and no objection from a permanent member.

The five permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States; the other 10 Council members are elected. A permanent member’s “discourage” vote in an informal poll signals a possible formal veto. Positions can change in later polls or in the formal vote. If the Council recommends a candidate, the General Assembly must still make the appointment. Security Council Report said there’s no straightforward precedent for what happens if the Council can’t agree.

The ballots reveal how the selection authority is divided between the Council and the General Assembly. The General Assembly appoints a secretary-general only after the Council recommends a candidate, giving permanent members a decisive role in whether a candidate advances. The source provides no evidence about effects on national populations or migration; the reported stakes concern the U.N.’s selection procedure and the balance of authority between its bodies.

The Ballots and Their Limits

Grynspan received nine “encourage,” five “discourage” and one “no opinion” vote. Three permanent members encouraged her and two discouraged her, according to PassBlue. The ballots were secret, and officials didn’t identify the two permanent members who opposed her. The United States hasn’t publicly disclosed how it voted.

The Council used colour-coded ballots for the first time, with permanent members using a different colour from elected members. PassBlue, an independent news site covering the United Nations, published tallies on Oct. 16; Costa Rican outlets Nación and Monumental reported the same figures for Grynspan. The Council doesn’t publish poll results, and its president only announces that a poll took place. Figures from earlier rounds leaked and appeared online.

Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana received eight “encourage” and six “discourage” votes. Rafael Grossi of Argentina also received eight “encourage” and six “discourage” votes, according to Nación. The reported breakdown between permanent and elected members for Grossi wasn’t available.

Regional Appeals and the Next Steps

The presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council began the selection process with a joint letter on Nov. 25, 2025, inviting governments to nominate candidates and requesting vision statements and funding disclosures. The Council held straw polls on July 30, Aug. 21, Sept. 18, Sept. 29, Oct. 7 and Oct. 16. Each member receives a ballot for each candidate with three choices: “encouraged,” “discouraged” or “no opinion expressed.” The Security Council Report research group says the polls test which candidates are viable.

Seven candidates remained, with none withdrawing since the fifth poll on Oct. 7: Grynspan, Grossi, Rodrigues Birkett, María Fernanda Espinosa, Ivonne A-Baki, Olara Otunnu of Uganda and Macky Sall. Espinosa and A-Baki are from Ecuador and were nominated by Antigua and Barbuda and Tonga, respectively. Burundi nominated Sall, and Uganda nominated Otunnu.

On Oct. 13, the regional bloc CELAC asked that a Latin American or Caribbean national be selected. PassBlue reported that Panama supports Grossi and says the region is due its turn. Grynspan told reporters in Costa Rica that no one knew for certain how members voted in the secret ballot. She said she’d try to reverse the two negative votes.

No date had been set for a seventh poll. António Guterres’s term ends Thursday, Dec. 31, and diplomats told PassBlue they expected the process to move faster. PassBlue reported that weaker candidates were expected to withdraw and that Lana Nusseibeh and Courtenay Rattray were rumoured as possible names. U.S. Ambassador Mike Waltz said member states retained the right to nominate candidates, and that Washington preferred to complete the selection during the calendar year.