Caroline Rodrigues Birket of Guyana received the highest number of votes in the second informal ballot held by the UN Security Council on Friday to select the next Secretary-General, receiving eight “encouragement” votes, according to the results of the informal process.
Rodriguez Birket received eight “encouragement” votes, three “discouragement” votes, and four “no opinion” votes. She was followed by Rebecca Greenspan from Costa Rica with seven “encouragement” votes, four “discouragement” votes, and four “no opinion” votes, while Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina received seven “encouragement” votes, six “discouragement” votes, and two “no opinion” votes.
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Maki Sal of Senegal received six “encouragement” votes, seven “discouragement” votes, and two “no opinion” votes, while Olara Otunu from Uganda received five votes in each of the three categories. María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés of Ecuador received four “encouragement” votes, three “discouragement” votes, and eight “no opinion” votes.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet received two “encouragement” votes, six “discouragement” votes, and seven “no opinion” votes. Yvonne A-Baki of Ecuador, the most recent candidate, received no “encouragement” votes, while she received eight “discouragement” votes and seven “no opinion” votes.
The ballot included eight candidates. A-Baki was nominated by Tonga on August 17. Bachelet had been nominated by Brazil, Chile, and Mexico on February 2, although Chile withdrew its nomination on March 24. Espinosa was nominated by Antigua and Barbuda on May 11, Grosi by Argentina on November 26, 2025, Greenspan by Costa Rica on March 3, Otunu by Uganda on July 24, Rodriguez Birket by Guyana on June 15, and Sal by Burundi on March 2.
The second informal vote took place in the Security Council’s consultation room, in accordance with the procedures agreed upon by Council members in May. As in the first round on July 30, no distinction was made between the ballots cast by the five permanent members and those cast by the ten elected members. Each Council member could designate a candidate as “encouraged,” “discouraged,” or “no opinion.”
No official record of the results is kept, and the ballots are expected to be destroyed once the process is complete. The Security Council has also agreed not to officially publicize the results, as its members were unable to reach a consensus on their publication.
Speaking to reporters after Friday’s vote, Denmark’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Christina Markus Lassen, whose country holds the Council presidency this month, confirmed only that the process had been completed.
“The second round of informal voting has taken place. The candidates will be informed of the results through the respective Permanent Representatives of the member states that nominated them,” she said.
“The President of the General Assembly will also be informed that the informal vote has concluded. That is all I have to say for today. Thank you,” he added.
According to Article 97 of the United Nations Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council. Informal ballots are used to assess the viability of candidacies before the Council proceeds with its formal recommendation.
All eight current candidates have now participated in interactive online dialogues with the General Assembly and in informal dialogues with the Security Council. Otunnu, who had already been included in the first informal vote before participating in the dialogues, held his dialogue with the General Assembly on August 19 and with the Security Council on August 20. A-Baki participated in both dialogues on August 20.
The decision not to make the results of informal votes public has been criticized by a growing number of UN member states. During the Security Council’s annual open debate on working methods on August 20, several member states called for greater transparency.
Liechtenstein argued that the failure to publish the results falls short of the principles of transparency, accountability, and inclusivity that should govern the process. Belgium, speaking on behalf of the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg), argued that publishing the results would enhance the Council’s transparency. Singapore pointed out that the current situation, in which results become known through leaks, “is not good for either the credibility of the process or the credibility of the Council.”
Estonia, the Philippines, and South Africa also called on the Council to consider publicly announcing the results, while Romania called for a “practical and consensual solution for disseminating the results” to all UN members.
The Security Council must ultimately agree on a candidate to recommend to the General Assembly. The Accountability, Accountability, Cohesion, and Transparency (ACT) has called on the Council to complete its review of the nominations and issue its recommendation by October 1 at the latest.
