Five countries win UN Security Council seats, Germany misses out

NEW YORK: The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday elected Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 1, 2027.

The five countries were chosen for seats allocated by regional groups in the 15-member council. This year’s vacancies included one seat each for the Africa Group, the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and the Asia-Pacific Group, along with two seats for the Western European and Others Group.

Germany fails in Western Europe contest

Germany, which had campaigned strongly for a place on the council, was unsuccessful in the contest for the two Western European and Others Group seats. It received 104 votes, while Portugal secured 134 and Austria 131.

In the Asia-Pacific Group race, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines went through four rounds of voting before Kyrgyzstan obtained the required two-thirds majority. It ultimately won the seat with 142 votes, compared with 49 for the Philippines, marking Kyrgyzstan’s first election to the Security Council.

How the council is composed

The Security Council is the only UN organ with the authority to adopt legally binding measures, including sanctions and the authorisation of force. Its five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — hold veto power.

The council also has 10 elected members, with five new countries joining each year. Under the latest election results, Zimbabwe will take over from Somalia, while Trinidad and Tobago will replace Panama. Portugal and Austria are set to succeed Denmark and Greece, and Kyrgyzstan will take Pakistan’s seat.

Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Latvia and Liberia will remain on the council until the end of 2027 as their current terms continue.

General Assembly also elects next president

Separately, the General Assembly on Tuesday elected Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman as president of the 193-member body for its 81st session, which is due to begin in September.