UN Security Council begins straw polls for next secretary-general

Key Points:

• The UN Security Council will conduct initial informal straw poll ballots on Thursday to gauge support for seven candidates vying to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General.
• Candidates come from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Senegal, and Uganda, with no clear front-runner, and the selection process could extend into late September or October if consensus is not reached.
• Straw polls are secret, non-binding votes among the 15 Security Council members, with later rounds revealing whether any permanent members issue vetoes against candidates.
• The Security Council will recommend a candidate to the UN General Assembly, which traditionally approves the choice, and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, who invented the straw poll system, was included despite missing informal hearings.
• The announcement follows António Guterres' recent visit to Syria, where he recognized the Golan Heights as part of Syria and called for increased international efforts to address Israel's role in the region.