UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan has again received the most votes of support in the fourth informal poll conducted by the UN Security Council on candidates for the post of secretary-general, according to sources cited by Reuters.
Ten members of the Security Council voted in favor of Grynspan, three voted against, and two abstained, sources said. The voting remains confidential, with official results not published.
Guyana's UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and International Atomic Energy Agency Director Rafael Grossi each received eight votes of support in the same poll. Rodrigues-Birkett received six votes against her candidacy, while Grossi received seven votes against, according to Reuters reporting.
The results mark a shift from an earlier preliminary vote held on September 18, when nine Security Council members supported Grynspan, five voted against, and one abstained. Grynspan has thus gained one additional vote of support between the two polls.
Seven candidates are competing for the position. The term of current UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who has led the organization since 2017, expires on December 31, 2026.
Grynspan, a former vice president of Costa Rica, has previously stated her readiness to work with Russia and pursue peace in Ukraine. On September 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow expects the new secretary-general to represent the interests of all humanity rather than only wealthy nations.