Ex-Senegal president Macky Sall withdraws as candidate for UN leader

Macky Sall’s withdrawal narrows the contest after an informal Security Council poll failed to produce a clear favourite. It also highlights how difficult the appointment will be because every hopeful received at least one “discourage” vote, effectively a veto, from a permanent member.

Sall said the test votes appeared to favour a candidate, perhaps female, from Latin America or the Caribbean. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan led the “encourage” votes, but still faced five “discourage” votes, including two from permanent members.

The race therefore moves toward negotiation rather than a simple popularity contest. Sall said he hoped to help produce a consensus candidate. Potential new names include Nickolay Mladenov, Lana Nusseibeh and Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, while Washington reportedly opposes all seven original contenders.

An informal UN Security Council poll is an anonymous test vote used to measure support for candidates before the council makes a formal recommendation. It helps diplomats identify leading contenders and obstacles without immediately forcing a final decision.

In this process, members can mark a candidate as receiving “encourage” or “discourage” support. The article says a “discourage” vote from a permanent Security Council member is effectively a veto. Rebeca Grynspan received the most encouragement, yet five members discouraged her, including two permanent members.

The poll therefore measures more than popularity. A candidate must attract broad support while avoiding opposition from any permanent member. The latest poll found that all seven hopefuls faced at least one such discouraging vote. That result explains why Sall called for the emergence of a consensus candidate.

The basic voting threshold is nine votes from the 15-member Security Council. Winning those votes is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The candidate must also avoid opposition from each of the council’s five permanent members.

This creates a two-part test. A contender could win nine or more votes overall but still fail if one permanent member issues a veto. The article describes “discourage” votes from permanent members in the informal poll as effectively vetoes, showing how that barrier works in practice.

The arrangement gives the five major powers an unusually strong role in the appointment. They can block a candidate even when most council members support that person. The article says those powers are deeply divided, so reaching both the numerical threshold and permanent-member agreement may require further bargaining.

“Encourage” votes show that a candidate has support, but they do not settle the appointment. The decisive obstacle is whether any permanent Security Council member is prepared to block the contender. That makes the process different from a simple contest where the largest vote total wins.

Grynspan illustrates the problem clearly. She received the most “encourage” votes in the latest poll and had been among the frontrunners in five previous polls. Yet she also received five “discourage” votes, including two from permanent members.

Those permanent-member objections could prevent her from advancing, even with the strongest positive showing. The article also reports that US media believes Washington opposes all seven contenders. Until a candidate can reach nine council votes and avoid a veto, the leading position remains uncertain and negotiations will continue.

If no candidate wins nine votes while avoiding a permanent-member veto, the appointment remains unresolved. The article gives no fixed timetable or detailed procedure for what follows. It does show that the council can continue informal testing and that candidates may withdraw or new names may emerge.

The current example points toward more diplomacy. Sall said he hoped to contribute to the emergence of a consensus candidate. Diplomats have floated Nickolay Mladenov, Lana Nusseibeh and Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu as possible entrants, suggesting that the field could change if the original contenders remain blocked.

Under established UN practice, the council would normally continue consultations until it can recommend one candidate. The General Assembly then appoints the secretary-general, but that stage cannot occur without a council recommendation. The divided permanent powers make agreement the central challenge.

The secretary-general is the United Nations’ top official. The article does not list the office’s duties, but established UN practice gives the secretary-general a central administrative, diplomatic and public role. The official helps coordinate the organisation’s work and brings international issues to attention.

The appointment matters because the secretary-general can mediate between governments, support negotiations and represent the UN around the world. The person also manages the organisation’s secretariat and helps turn member-state decisions into coordinated action. These responsibilities give the choice importance beyond the candidates themselves.

The article places the contest in a transition period. Antonio Guterres of Portugal will complete his second five-year term on December 31. Because the Security Council is divided and the United States reportedly opposes all seven contenders, the eventual choice will need wide political acceptance to lead effectively.

The article establishes the practical reason the veto matters: five permanent Security Council members can block a candidate, even if that person wins broad support. It does not explain the historical origin of their special status. Established UN history links it to the post-Second World War design of the organisation.

The veto was intended to ensure that the major powers responsible for the system’s security would not be forced into decisions they rejected. In practice, it gives each permanent member a safeguard over major council action, including the secretary-general selection process. A single objection can therefore stop a proposal.

This power shapes decision-making by making compromise essential. The article says the five major powers are deeply divided, and every candidate received a discouraging vote from one of them. Support from other council members cannot overcome that barrier, so diplomacy must seek an acceptable candidate rather than merely a majority winner.