Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth

Costa Rican former vice president Rebeca Grynspan solidified her position in the race to become the next United Nations secretary general on Thursday. She garnered 12 encouraging votes in a closed-door straw poll, followed by three discouraging votes and no neutral responses, as diplomats attempt to resolve a prolonged deadlock over UN leadership, according to diplomatic sources. Grynspan had previously received 11 encouraging votes in the prior round.

Latvia's UN ambassador, Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, who is currently serving as the council's rotating president for the month, acknowledged the completion of the ballot but refrained from disclosing the specific results. The 15-member council is in the process of selecting a successor to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term expires in December, amid growing financial strains, conflicts, and questions about the organization's capacity to address global crises.

Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, placed second with nine encouraging votes, four discouraging votes, and two neutral responses. Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett followed with 8-5-2, while the United Arab Emirates' Lana Nusseibeh secured fourth place with 7-6-2. Turkey's Feridun Sinirlioglu, whose late nomination added complexity to an already competitive field, received 3-8-4 in his first vote.

Sinirlioglu, nominated by Ankara on November 1, is set to address the General Assembly on Friday and engage in informal discussions with Security Council members on November 9.

Russia expressed openness to considering candidates from outside Latin America if none of the region's nominees receives sufficient support in informal Security Council votes. Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for International Organizations, stated that Moscow still views it as Latin America's turn to nominate candidates, in accordance with an informal principle of geographical rotation.

"At the early stages of the race, we promised to respect this tradition to our Latin American partners," Logvinov remarked. If no regional candidate garners enough support, Russia would explore a broader pool of candidates who meet its criteria and can garner the necessary backing from UN Security Council members. Rising tensions were noted, with consultations among the five permanent council members becoming more frequent.

In the current uncolored ballot system, the identities of the countries voting and their respective positions remain undisclosed. The next round may involve colored ballots, which could illuminate whether opposition to leading candidates stems from permanent or elected council members.