In brief
During the November 2026 session, the Security Council held its eighth straw poll to gauge support for potential successors to Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres. Latvia’s ambassador Sanita Pavluta‑Deslandes led the vote, informing candidates privately while the results remain unofficial. Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica led the field, with the next Secretary‑General set to take office on 1 January 2027.
In a closed‑door vote held on 5 November 2026, the United Nations Security Council conducted its eighth straw poll to assess support for candidates who could succeed Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres.
The session, chaired by Latvia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sanita Pavluta‑Deslandes, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the council for the month, announced that the ballot had been completed.
"The eighth round of straw polls has taken place," Pavluta‑Deslandes told reporters after the secret vote concluded. The results will be communicated to each candidate via the permanent representatives of the member states that nominated them, and the president of the General Assembly will be notified that the poll has taken place.
Security Council straw polls are informal, closed‑door ballots that determine the viability of candidates for appointment by the General Assembly. Each member receives a ballot for every candidate, offering three options: "encouraged," "discouraged" or "no opinion expressed." A candidate must secure at least nine encouraged votes and receive no discouraged votes from any of the council’s five permanent members to win the council’s recommendation.
The eighth round included six established candidates and two new entrants who joined after earlier rounds. Former Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, now secretary general of the Organization for Security and Co‑Operation in Europe, entered the race after the seventh poll, while Lana Nusseibeh, a former United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United Nations, joined after the sixth round.
Other candidates present in the ballot were former Ecuadorian minister and diplomat Ivonne A‑Baki; former UN General Assembly president and former Ecuadorian foreign and defence minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa; Argentine IAEA director general Rafael Grossi; and former Costa Rican vice‑president Rebeca Grynspan—the latter emerged as the front‑runner in the poll. The other entrants were noted but received fewer encouraged votes.
Previous straw polls in October had transitioned between color‑coded and undifferentiated ballots. In the sixth poll on 16 October, color coding helped distinguish the votes of permanent versus non‑permanent members. However, the seventh poll on 30 October and the eighth poll reverted to undifferentiated ballots after the sudden entry of new candidates.
Although the council does not release official results, each name will continue to be informed of the outcome through diplomatic channels. The next Secretary‑General is slated to assume office on 1 January 2027, following the conclusion of the current term.
