CCTV — The president of the United Nations (UN) Security Council told reporters Thursday that all the 12 announced candidates for the post of UN chief will be informed of the outcome of the first round of a secret straw poll by the 15-nation council.
Ambassador Koro Bossho of Japan, this month’s president of the Security Council, made the statement less than two hours after the polling started at 10:00 at the UN headquarters, New York city.
"The first round of straw polls to decide on the next secretary-general has taken place. The candidates will be informed of the results through the respective permanent representatives (ambassadors) of nominating member states," Koro Bossho said.
The results may help candidates to know their rankings among the all 12 and can also inform the Security Council members the future evolution of the selection.
A second straw poll has not yet been scheduled.
Analysts said the 15 Security Council members cast a total of 180 ballots which mark three columns –"encouraged," "discouraged," and "no opinion expressed" for each candidate.
The incumbent UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is going to conclude his term at the end of 2016. The council’s decision to select the top leader of the world organization will come later this year.
Under the UN Charter, the UN Secretary-General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. In practice, the Security Council, particularly its five permanent members, will make the final choice and send a single candidate to the General Assembly for approval.
This year, for the first time in history, the candidates have been asked to submit their resumes and taken part in open dialogues with the UN 193-member General Assembly, which has been considered as a move to make the selecting process more transparent and inclusive.
