No candidate for UN secretary-general has the backing of all five permanent Security Council members

The three front-runners

• Rebeca Grynspan, Costa Rica, UN trade chief
• Rafael Grossi, Argentina, head of the IAEA
• Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, Guyana’s UN ambassador

The three front-runners each drew two “discourage” votes from the veto powers in Friday’s secret straw poll, two diplomats said. It was the first poll to use red ballots to set apart the votes of the five permanent members.

Encourage votes for Rebeca Grynspan

9 votes

Grynspan, a former vice-president of Costa Rica, stayed in the lead with nine “encourage” votes. Former Senegalese president Macky Sall withdrew his candidacy on Saturday.

Why it matters

By tradition the post rotates among regions, and it is Latin America’s turn; there is also pressure to choose the first woman to lead the UN. The winner will succeed António Guterres, who has led the organization for nearly 10 years.

“We will get there, I am convinced, before the end of the year,” said Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN. Both he and Russia’s ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, left the door open to new candidates.

— Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the UN