The Security Council has just held its fifth straw poll on the seven candidates vying to become the next UN Secretary-General. This latest poll introduced a new dynamic to the race. Unlike the previous four straw polls, the ballots this time were color-coded to distinguish between the preferences of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council and those of the other ten members.
The veto-wielding members were given identical red ballots, while the other ten members were given different colored ballots. On each ballot, members indicated whether they encouraged, discouraged, or had no opinion on each candidate.
The result: we now have a very close three-way race.
Rebeca Grynspan, Rafael Grossi, and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett are now the three leading contenders. To be sure, each faces opposition from two veto-wielding members, but compared to the other candidates, who face even steeper opposition from the P5, their odds look considerably better.
Of these three, only Costa Rica’s …