STRAW POLL: Two women lead the race to be next UN secretary-general
Permanent members of the Security Council could still trip up the appointment of the first woman UN leader.
Two women, Rebeca Grynspan and Carolyn Allison Rodrigues-Birkett, have emerged as frontrunners to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations after António Guterres ends his second term. The straw poll, held on July 30, gauged the opinions of the 15 members of the Security Council, who have the power to veto any candidate.
Grynspan, the Costa Rican head of the UN's trade body UNCTAD, topped the poll with 10 "encourages," one "discourage," and four "no opinions." Rodrigues-Birkett, the former foreign minister of Guyana and ambassador to the UN, came in second with nine "encourages," two "discourages," and four "no opinions." Argentinian Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, came in third.
The South African government, which backs a woman as UN boss, seems to prefer Grynspan due to her support for developing countries and her principled stance. However, there is concern that the single "discourage" vote she received could have come from a permanent member of the Security Council, which would amount to a veto.
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