UN Security Council straw poll: Guyana's Birkett leads in second vote

Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett emerged as the frontrunner in the United Nations Security Council's second informal straw poll for the next Secretary-General. The poll, conducted on Friday, saw Birkett garner eight "encouragement" votes, three "discouragement" votes, and four abstentions, positioning her ahead of the other seven candidates.

Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan secured second place with seven positive votes, four negative, and four abstentions. Argentina's Rafael Mariano Grossi also received seven positive votes but faced six "discouragement" votes and two neutral stances. Senegal's Macky Sall garnered six "encouragement" votes against seven "discouragement" votes and two abstentions.

Other candidates included Uganda's Olara Otunnu with five votes in each category, Ecuador's María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés with four positive, three negative, and eight abstentions, and Chile's former president Michelle Bachelet, who received two "encouragement" votes and six "discouragement" votes.

The process, held in the Security Council's consultation room, followed rules agreed upon in May, with no distinction in the weight of votes between permanent and elected members. Each country could categorize a candidate as "encouraged," "discouraged," or express no opinion. However, the council's decision to withhold the results from public disclosure has sparked objections from some UN member states, including Liechtenstein, which argued that the secrecy contradicts principles of transparency and accountability.

The council president for August, Denmark's Permanent Representative Kristine Mørch Poulsen, confirmed the completion of the second round but did not disclose the results. Candidates will be informed through their respective permanent representatives, and the General Assembly president will also be updated.