{
  "id": 2415380,
  "title": "Security Council holds second secret straw poll for next UN chief",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/security-council-holds-second-secret-straw-poll-for-next-un-chief-2415380",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-21T17:36:53.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/us/2026/08/21/security-council-holds-second-secret-straw-poll-for-next-un-chief/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UN Security Council convened a secret straw poll on Friday to assess support for potential candidates to succeed Secretary General Antonio Guterres. This informal ballot is part of the selection process, which began with eight candidates competing for the top UN position. The five veto-wielding permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US – are considered indistinguishable from the 10 elected members in terms of their ballots. No official record of the votes has been kept, and they were destroyed after the voting process. Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett received the highest number of \"encourage\" votes with eight, while Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, the frontrunner last month, and Argentina's Rafael Grossi each received seven. Ecuador's Ivonne Baki, the most recent candidate to enter the race, received no \"encourage\" votes but eight \"discourage\" votes. Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, mentioned that if there is a deadlock among the candidates, other candidates may be considered. To advance, a candidate needs at least nine votes from the Security Council and must also avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members. If a candidate meets both criteria, the Security Council recommends them to the General Assembly, where the full UN membership formally appoints the new Secretary General. The practice of holding these straw polls has been in place since the 1980s, though some UN member states have criticized it for its secrecy and lack of transparency.",
  "summary": "The UN Security Council held its second secret straw poll on Friday in the race to succeed Secretary General Antonio Guterres , as eight candidates compete for the international organisation's top job. The informal ballot was intended to gauge support for candidates before the 15-member council makes a formal recommendation to the General Assembly , which appoints the Secretary General under the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National Business",
        "title": "Security Council holds second secret straw poll for next UN chief",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/security-council-holds-second-secret-straw-poll-for-next-un-chief",
        "published": "2026-08-21T17:36:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Day after protests against chief Manan Kumar Mishra, Bar Council of India to hold presser Saturday",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/day-after-protests-against-chief-manan-kumar-mishra-bar-council-of",
        "published": "2026-08-21T18:20:41.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}