Who will replace UN chief Guterres:8 candidates in the race, Costa Rica’s Grinspán leads in the first informal voting

The current Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antnio Guterres, will complete his second five-year term on December 31, 2026. The process to select the next Secretary-General after him has already begun. Currently, 8 candidates are in the running for this position. The 15 members of the United Nations Security Council are gauging support for these candidates through secret ballot. In the first informal voting held last month, Rebecca Grynspan of Costa Rica was in the lead. How is the Secretary-General selected? The Secretary-General of the United Nations is not elected directly by the public or by vote of all countries. First, the Security Council considers candidates and through secret ballot determines how much support each candidate is receiving. The Security Council has a total of 15 members. A candidate needs at least 9 votes to move forward. But getting 9 votes is not enough. There should also be no veto against the candidate from any of the five permanent members of the Security Council – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, and France. After this, the name of the candidate agreed upon by the Security Council is sent to the United Nations General Assembly. After the General Assembly’s approval, they become the new Secretary-General of the United Nations. Guterres’ term will end on December 31, 2026. Therefore, preparations are underway to complete the selection process for the new Secretary-General before that. The 8 candidates involved in this race have different backgrounds. These include former presidents, senior diplomats, and people who have worked in major positions at the United Nations. Let’s know who is in this race and what their claims are. 1. Rebeca Grynspan – Costa Rica 70-year-old Rebeca Grynspan is currently leading in this race. She received the most support in the first informal vote held last month. Grynspan is the former Vice President of Costa Rica and heads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. She has taken leave from her current responsibilities to campaign for the Secretary-General position. If Grinspan is elected, she will be the first woman and first Jewish Secretary-General of the United Nations. Her parents were Jewish refugees who fled Europe during World War II. Controversy: Questions were raised about the use of expensive private aircraft while working at UNDP. A UN chartered plane was used to travel from Dubai, which cost approximately 40 thousand dollars. 2. Michelle Bachelet – Chile 74-year-old Michelle Bachelet is a socialist leader from Chile. She became Chile’s first woman president in 2006. After that, she worked as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. While serving as the human rights chief, Bachelet had released a report on the situation of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang. China had criticized her for this. Bachelet has received support from Mexico and Brazil. However, Chile withdrew its support after right-wing President Jos Antonio Kast came to power. The United States has also been critical of her stance on abortion rights. Controversy: Bachelet raised questions about India’s Kashmir and citizenship-related matters while serving as UN Human Rights Chief. In 2019, she expressed concern over the communication blockade and detention of leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. India rejected her statement, calling it incorrect and inappropriate. 3. Mara Fernanda Espinosa – Ecuador 61-year-old Maria Fernanda Espinosa is a former Foreign Minister of Ecuador. She has also served as President of the United Nations General Assembly. Espinosa says that the United Nations is the most important global platform for addressing the world’s shared problems. However, she also advocates for major reforms in the organization. Her candidacy has received support from Antigua and Barbuda, but her own country Ecuador has not supported her. Controversy: Espinosa’s political career has also been marked by controversy. In 2019, there was an attempt in Ecuador’s parliament to remove her from office. She was accused of granting citizenship to Julian Assange while serving as Foreign Minister and of not properly handling the security crisis on the Colombia border. However, she did not receive the necessary votes for removal and remained in office. 4. Rafael Mariano Grossi – Argentina 65-year-old Rafael Mariano Grossi is a career diplomat from Argentina. He has been the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2019. Grossi has been in the spotlight for the past few years regarding Iran’s nuclear program and Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. He is running for the position of Secretary-General, but has not resigned from his post as IAEA Chief. He says that leaving the post would be like backing away from his responsibility. Grossi wants the United Nations to play a more active role in major crises occurring in the world and for necessary changes to be made in the organization. Controversy: Iran has been accusing him of bias. After the IAEA report in 2025, Iran said that it paved the way for action against it. Grossi rejected the allegations, saying that the report was prepared based on investigation. 5. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett – Guyana 52-year-old Caroline Rodrigues-Birkett is the former Foreign Minister of Guyana. She comes from Guyana’s indigenous community and became a minister at just 27 years of age. Currently, she is her country’s ambassador to the United Nations. She says that the United Nations needs to re-establish its credibility in the world. Controversy: No major controversy 6. Yvonne A-Baki – Ecuador 75-year-old Ivonne A-Baki is an Ecuadorian diplomat and leader. She has served as Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States. During this time, she had good relations with American President Donald Trump. Her candidacy has been proposed by Tonga. She also has good relations with Gulf countries. She has served as Ecuador’s Ambassador to Qatar. Controversy: She has an old friendship with Donald Trump. She also played a role in organizing the Miss Universe competition in Ecuador in 2004, when Trump owned this competition. Opponents allege that her personal relations with Trump are being exploited in Ecuador-US relations. 7. Macky Sall – Senegal 64-year-old Macky Sall is the former President of Senegal. He is also the current Chairperson of the African Union. Macky is highlighting peace and development as the most important issues in his campaign. His candidacy was proposed by Burundi and Senegal also supported him in July. Controversy: Between 2021 and 2024, there were several violent protests in Senegal during his presidency. Questions were raised about his methods of handling these protests. Many people died during this period. 8. Olara Otunnu – Uganda 75-year-old Olara Otunnu has also served as Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Nations. He was also his country’s Foreign Minister for some time. In 2011, he contested the presidential election on behalf of the Uganda People’s Congress. However, he lost the election to President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for a long time. Controversy: No major controversy ​