Rebeca Grynspan, of Costa Rica, a Jewish economist, won Friday’s United Nations Security Council straw poll to decide the next secretary-general of the global body, according to identical tallies that multiple diplomatic sources released to the press.
That makes six wins in seven tries for Grynspan, a U.N. executive and former Costa Rican vice president.
But despite securing 11 “encourage” votes from the 15-member Security Council, Grynspan got four “discourage” votes, which again casts doubt on her ability to secure the nomination even though she has been the race’s frontrunner almost exclusively.
Candidates require approval from at least nine council members but must also avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Rafael Grossi, of Argentina, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, finished second on Friday with nine “encourage,” four “discourage” and two “no opinion” votes.
Guyana diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett got eight “encourage” and six “discourage” votes and one “no opinion.”
The wild card on Friday was Lana Nusseibeh, former United Arab Emirates ambassador to the global body, who entered the race belatedly upon viewing the council’s lack of consensus.
Nusseibeh served as the Emirati ambassador to the global body from 2013 to 2024, which included the period when Israel and the United Arab Emirates normalized relations.
Her family, considered Jerusalem’s oldest Muslim dynasty, arrived in the seventh century of the Common Era and remains the keyholders to Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
On the first try, Nusseibeh secured seven “encourage,” six “discourage” and two “no opinion” votes, suggesting that she has her work cut out for her at this last stage.
Nusseibeh has come under criticism in some circles for her role in defending the UAE’s involvement in the Sudanese civil war.
All of the other three candidates were deep underwater in Friday’s result, which did not use color-coded ballots that reveal which, if any, of the permanent five members say “discourage” in the secret vote.
The previous poll, which was taken on Oct. 16, was the first in which the five veto-holding council members used color-coded ballots. In that vote, Grynspan drew negative votes from two of the five, suggesting that she may be unable to secure the nomination.
Time is ticking until the Dec. 31 conclusion of António Guterres’s term as secretary-general.
Other names have been floated in recent days as potential late entrants, including former Turkish foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu.
