Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett leads UN chief straw poll
Guyanese former foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett narrowly led the second informal Security Council straw poll on the race to become the next UN secretary-general, a diplomatic source and specialist publication Pass Blue said Friday.
Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan, who led after the first closed-door informal vote last month, fell slightly to second place. Argentina's Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, came third, according to the diplomatic source and Pass Blue.
Other candidates include Macky Sall of Senegal, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa and Uganda's Olara Otunnu. Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki entered the race after the first straw poll.
Rodrigues-Birkett received eight votes of encouragement, three of discouragement and four of no opinion, according to the diplomatic source. A-Baki received no encouragement votes, the source said.
Denmark's UN ambassador Christina Lassen, whose country holds the Security Council's rotating presidency, said the council was considering the timing of the next straw poll.
After the vote, Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador Zenon Ngay Mukongo said: "It's too early to have a consensus."
A candidate needs nine votes from the 15-member Security Council and must avoid a veto by Britain, China, France, Russia or the United States. If a candidate clears those hurdles, the name goes to the UN General Assembly for confirmation.
In the early rounds, council members mark each candidate anonymously as "encourage," "discourage" or "no opinion." Later in the process, ballots from the five permanent members are expected to be marked differently, making it possible to identify whether a candidate faces a possible veto without revealing which permanent member objected.
Antonio Guterres of Portugal ends his second five-year term as secretary-general on December 31, 2026. By tradition, the UN's top job rotates between regions, which points this time toward a candidate from Latin America, though Sall and Otunnu are from Africa.
Update
Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett narrowly led the second informal Security Council straw poll, according to a diplomatic source and Pass Blue.
Rebeca Grynspan fell to second place after leading the first informal vote, while Rafael Grossi came third.
Rodrigues-Birkett received eight encouragement votes, three discouragement votes and four no-opinion votes, according to a diplomatic source.
Ivonne A-Baki received no encouragement votes, according to a diplomatic source.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 19:41:39 UTC.
Update
The UN Security Council held the second informal straw poll on August 21.
Denmark's UN ambassador Christina Lassen said candidates would be informed through the permanent representatives of their nominating states.
Lassen said the council was considering when to hold the next straw poll.
Democratic Republic of Congo ambassador Zenon Ngay Mukongo said after the vote that it was too early to have a consensus.
Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group said some nominees could conclude after the vote that their campaigns had reached the end of the road.
Source note: AFP news report published on 21 August 2026 at 15:43:02 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The straw poll was informal, closed-door and secret, and the reported rankings and vote counts are attributed to a diplomatic source and Pass Blue.
The timing of the next straw poll has not been decided.
The preferences of the five permanent Security Council members are not yet identifiable in the early rounds.
Source
AFP news report published on .