Third Straw Poll for UN Secretary

Key Points:

• Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica regained the lead in the UN Secretary-General selection process with nine "encourage" votes in the Security Council's third secret straw poll on Sept. 18, meeting the threshold for a formal decision but also receiving five "discourage" votes and one no opinion.
• The poll results do not clarify if any veto-wielding permanent members opposed candidates, but sources suggest China and Russia may have discouraged Grynspan; a successful candidate needs nine encourages and no veto from a permanent member.
• Other candidates, including Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, saw fewer encourage votes, while Michelle Bachelet of Chile, backed by Brazil and Mexico, received only one encourage vote and subsequently withdrew from the race.
• Ivonne A-Baki, a late entrant from Ecuador, received no encourage votes and ten discourages, though her campaign reports productive meetings with UN members; the U.S. remains a key opponent for some candidates, notably Bachelet.
• The final straw polls are expected by early October, with the Security Council president confirming the ongoing process but withholding detailed results; the Council aims to recommend a candidate to the General Assembly for approval after the high-level week ending Sept. 28.