Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan leads the race to succeed UN Secretary-General António Guterres after a sixth Security Council vote, though opposition from two permanent veto-wielding members leaves the contest deadlocked as the December 31 leadership deadline approaches.
Rebeca Grynspan Leads Straw Polls As Veto Powers Object
The United Nations Security Council held its sixth informal secret straw poll on October 16, 2026. This kept Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan at the front of the field to succeed António Guterres, whose term ends on December 31.
Grynspan secured the necessary nine encouraging votes alongside five discouraging votes. Those discouraging votes included opposition from two permanent council members.
Argentina’s Rafael Grossi and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett each pulled eight encouraging and six discouraging votes. They also faced resistance from two permanent members.
Minh-Thu Pham, co-founder of the Starling Institute and a former adviser to Kofi Annan, told reporters that the gap among the leaders has narrowed with no permanent member convergence.
It could get messy.
Minh-Thu Pham, co-founder of the Starling Institute, via The National.
Lana Nusseibeh Enters Contest As Regional And Gender Debates Continue
The United Arab Emirates formally nominated Lana Zaki Nusseibeh for the top diplomatic post on October 21, 2026. Nusseibeh is the UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs and former permanent representative to the UN. She has taken leave from her government duties to campaign on a platform of stronger diplomacy and institutional reform.
Kazakhstan and Albania have endorsed her candidacy. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama praised her candidacy.
The veteran diplomat served as the UAE’s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2013 to 2024. Across that timeframe, she held the role of Vice-President of the General Assembly. She also served as President of the Executive Board of UN Women, and took a turn as President of the Security Council on two occasions while the UAE held its 2022–2023 membership.
Her career included securing the UAE’s election to the UN Security Council for the 2022–2023 term for the first time since 1986. She advanced Security Council Resolution 2720 in December 2023 to facilitate humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip. The leaders of the UN General Assembly and Security Council received her nomination directly from UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
If she successfully replaces António Guterres when he finishes his term, she would become the first woman to lead the United Nations. Former senior officials have publicly supported her bid, including Brett McGurk, President Joe Biden’s senior Middle East envoy, who praised her effectiveness in international humanitarian efforts.
Other diplomats and observers note that she may face opposition regarding the traditional regional rotation of UN secretaries-general. That rotation points toward candidates from Latin America or Eastern Europe.
The entry of a Gulf candidate adds a new dynamic to a race that had centered on Latin American contenders. US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Washington’s primary focus is finding the most qualified individual rather than adhering strictly to regional rotation.
We really just need the best candidate
, Waltz told reporters after the vote, emphasizing a desire for energetic leadership that returns the body to its core mandate. Waltz expressed confidence that UN membership would find a replacement before the end of the year.
African Candidacy Changes Following Macky Sall Withdrawal
Sall stated that his decision aimed to help build consensus within the Security Council. He pointed to a preference emerging in the polls for a Latin American or Caribbean candidate.
His exit leaves Uganda’s Olara Otunnu as Africa’s sole remaining candidate. Between 1998 and 2005, Otunnu worked as the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, and he previously managed Uganda’s foreign affairs office.
UN Voting Alignment And Candidate Standing In October 2026
The security council requirement mandates at least nine supporting votes and the avoidance of a veto from China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Guterres will conclude his second term on December 31, 2026, with his successor scheduled to take office on January 1, 2027.