As process to elect next UN chief begins; who are likely candidates and how will they be chosen?

New Delhi: The race to select the next United Nations secretary-general has formally begun. It started when the 15-member Security Council and the president of the 193-member General Assembly sent a joint letter soliciting nominations on Tuesday. The new UN secretary-general will be elected next year for a five-year term starting on January 1, 2027.

The joint letter was sent to begin soliciting candidates for the position while also setting out the modalities for submitting and considering nominations. It further initiates the formal process to invite member states to present candidates through sending a letter to the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council. It indicates that the Council will begin its selection "by the end of July 2026” and that it "plans to make its recommendation to the General Assembly in a timely manner”. 

The major running candidates expected to run right now are mostly from Latin America. Prime among them is Chile’s former President Michelle Bachelet, who was the first female head of state and twice served as the country’s president. The announcement was made by Chile’s President Gabriel Boric on September 23. Bachelet has been part of the UN before, being the organisation’s High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2018-2022 and Executive Director of UN Women between 2010-2013.

Costa Rica is nominating its former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan. A renowned politician and economist, Grynspan currently serves as Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

From Argentina, the nomination of Rafael Grossi, who has long said he was considering campaigning to be secretary-general is expected. When asked by news publication Reuters on September 3, on the possibility of his running for the post, he agreed saying, "Yes, I am going to do that, yes.” Currently Grossi is director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a role he has held since 2019.

The UN Security Council which comprises 15 members will formally recommend a candidate to the 193-member General Assembly to be elected as the secretary-general later next year.

As part of the process, the Security Council will hold secret ballots called straw polls till a consensus is reached on a candidate. The choices provided for the voters in the straw poll for choosing a candidate are namely encourage, discourage or no opinion.

Important to note is that the five permanent veto-wielding council members that include the United States, Russia, Britain, China and France, have to agree on a candidate. The ballots for the veto powers in the straw poll are traditionally a different color to those of the 10 elected members. The Security Council finally adopts a resolution, traditionally behind closed doors, recommending an appointment to the General Assembly. The resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes to pass.