AFP, United Nations :
The UN Security Council was poised Thursday to back Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and head of the UN’s refugee agency for a decade, as the next secretary general.
The 67-year-old socialist politician, who will be the first former head of government to become UN chief, has pledged to revamp the global diplomatic body to boost its peacemaking efforts and promote human rights.
His path to the job of world’s diplomat-in-chief was smoothed in a decisive Security Council vote Wednesday, during which 13 of the 15 members backed his candidacy and none of the five veto-holding powers blocked him.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin emerged from the council chamber along with the 14 other ambassadors to declare that Guterres was on course to succeed Ban Ki-moon.
“We have a clear favorite and his name is Antonio Guterres,” he said.
Churkin added that Thursday’s vote was expected to confirm the choice of Guterres “by acclamation.”
“We wish Mr Guterres well in discharging his duties as the secretary general of the United Nations in the next five years,” he added.
During the secret election, Guterres won four positive votes and one “no opinion” from veto holders Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, who used color-coded ballots to indicate whether they intended to block a candidate.
Guterres, Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002, had held the number-one spot in the previous five informal votes, but the quick consensus decision took many diplomats by surprise.
The position has previously been held by several foreign ministers, most of whom were chosen during closed-door Security Council meetings.
This time around, the selection involved a new, more open process that allowed candidates to appear at hearings to make their pitch for the top job before the General Assembly.
Once the Security Council formally endorses him, Guterres will be presented to the General Assembly for approval. The new UN chief begins his five-year term on January 1.
The UN Security Council was poised Thursday to back Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and head of the UN’s refugee agency for a decade, as the next secretary general.
The 67-year-old socialist politician, who will be the first former head of government to become UN chief, has pledged to revamp the global diplomatic body to boost its peacemaking efforts and promote human rights.
His path to the job of world’s diplomat-in-chief was smoothed in a decisive Security Council vote Wednesday, during which 13 of the 15 members backed his candidacy and none of the five veto-holding powers blocked him.
Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin emerged from the council chamber along with the 14 other ambassadors to declare that Guterres was on course to succeed Ban Ki-moon.
“We have a clear favorite and his name is Antonio Guterres,” he said.
Churkin added that Thursday’s vote was expected to confirm the choice of Guterres “by acclamation.”
“We wish Mr Guterres well in discharging his duties as the secretary general of the United Nations in the next five years,” he added.
During the secret election, Guterres won four positive votes and one “no opinion” from veto holders Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, who used color-coded ballots to indicate whether they intended to block a candidate.
Guterres, Portugal’s prime minister from 1995 to 2002, had held the number-one spot in the previous five informal votes, but the quick consensus decision took many diplomats by surprise.
The position has previously been held by several foreign ministers, most of whom were chosen during closed-door Security Council meetings.
This time around, the selection involved a new, more open process that allowed candidates to appear at hearings to make their pitch for the top job before the General Assembly.
Once the Security Council formally endorses him, Guterres will be presented to the General Assembly for approval. The new UN chief begins his five-year term on January 1.
