Costa Rica’s Grynspan extends lead in race to become next UN chief

The United Nations Security Council held a secret poll on Tuesday to determine the next Secretary-General, with Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan leading but still not securing a clear consensus. Grynspan received 10 "encourage" votes, three "discourage" votes, and two "no opinion" votes. Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and Argentina's Rafael Grossi followed closely, each with eight "encourage" votes.

Rodrigues-Birkett also received six "discourage" votes and one "no opinion" vote, while Grossi, a UN nuclear watchdog director general, had seven "discourage" votes and no "no opinion" votes. Four rounds of secret ballots had yet to reveal a frontrunner to succeed Antonio Guterres. Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice president and UN Conference on Trade and Development leader since 2021, entered the vote with a narrow lead from the previous round.

The results suggest the need for Council members to use color-coded ballots, which could indicate opposition from permanent Security Council members or potentially block a candidate's nomination. Despite speculation about new entrants, none have joined the race, making Grynspan's position more secure.