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António Guterres (Portugal), the 9th UN Secretary-General, completes his second term on 31 December 2026. The UN Security Council is now choosing his successor through straw polls. This page is updated to 26 October 2026; the race is still going on.
How the Secretary-General is chosen
- Article 97 of the UN Charter: the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council.
- Candidates are nominated by member states.
- In straw polls, the 15 Council members mark each candidate encourage, discourage or no opinion.
- A candidate needs at least 9 encourage votes and no veto from the five permanent members (P5: China, France, Russia, UK, USA).
- By custom the post rotates among regions. This time Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC) is widely seen as next in line, and there is a strong push for the first woman Secretary-General.
- The new Secretary-General’s term starts on 1 January 2027.
Official candidates (as of 26 October 2026)
| Candidate | Country | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Rebeca Grynspan | Costa Rica | Secretary-General of UNCTAD; former Vice President of Costa Rica |
| Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett | Guyana | Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN; former Foreign Minister |
| Rafael Grossi | Argentina | Director General of the IAEA (since 2019) |
| María Fernanda Espinosa | Ecuador (nominated by Antigua and Barbuda) | President of the 73rd UN General Assembly |
| Olara Otunnu | Uganda | Former UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict |
| Ivonne Baki | Ecuador (nominated by Tonga) | Ecuador’s Ambassador to France |
| Lana Nusseibeh | UAE | Former UAE Permanent Representative to the UN; nominated 21 October 2026 |
Withdrawn: Michelle Bachelet (Chile), Macky Sall (Senegal, withdrew 17 October 2026) and Virginia Gamba (Argentina).
Latest straw poll: 16 October 2026 (sixth poll)
- The first colour-coded poll, showing P5 votes separately.
- Rebeca Grynspan led with 9 encourage votes, followed by Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett and Rafael Grossi with 8 each.
- No candidate yet has the support of all five permanent members, so the race continues.
All UN Secretaries-General
| No. | Name | Country | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trygve Lie | Norway | 1946–1952 |
| 2 | Dag Hammarskjöld | Sweden | 1953–1961 |
| 3 | U Thant | Myanmar (Burma) | 1961–1971 |
| 4 | Kurt Waldheim | Austria | 1972–1981 |
| 5 | Javier Pérez de Cuéllar | Peru | 1982–1991 |
| 6 | Boutros Boutros-Ghali | Egypt | 1992–1996 |
| 7 | Kofi Annan | Ghana | 1997–2006 |
| 8 | Ban Ki-moon | South Korea | 2007–2016 |
| 9 | António Guterres | Portugal | 2017–2026 |
So far the only Secretary-General from Latin America was Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru), and all nine have been men.
Practice MCQs
- António Guterres’s second term as UN Secretary-General ends on:
a) 31 December 2025 b) 30 June 2026 c) 31 December 2026 d) 31 December 2027
Answer: c) 31 December 2026 - Under which Article of the UN Charter is the Secretary-General appointed?
a) Article 23 b) Article 51 c) Article 97 d) Article 108
Answer: c) Article 97 - Who appoints the UN Secretary-General?
a) Security Council alone b) General Assembly on the Security Council’s recommendation c) ICJ d) ECOSOC
Answer: b) General Assembly on the Security Council’s recommendation - Rebeca Grynspan, a leading candidate, heads which UN body?
a) UNDP b) UNCTAD c) UNICEF d) WHO
Answer: b) UNCTAD - Who was the only UN Secretary-General from Latin America so far?
a) Kofi Annan b) U Thant c) Javier Pérez de Cuéllar d) Trygve Lie
Answer: c) Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (Peru)
Related Notes
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Sources: 2026 UN Secretary-General selection; PassBlue: first colour-coded poll (16 Oct 2026); AP via ABC News; Security Council Report. The list may change as candidates join or withdraw.
Why this matters for Lok Sewa
- UN structure (Charter articles, organs, Secretaries-General) is asked in international relations MCQs.
- Article 97 of the UN Charter is a favourite question.
Quick practice questions
- Under which article of the UN Charter is the Secretary-General appointed? Answer: Article 97.
- Who is the 9th UN Secretary-General? Answer: António Guterres (Portugal).
- When does the new Secretary-General’s term start? Answer: 1 January 2027.