Who will succeed António Guterres at the head of the UN?
31 December 2026 marks the end of the second term of António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The former Portuguese prime minister has led the organisation since 2017. His successor will take office on 1 January 2027 and will be the tenth Secretary-General in the history of the UN.
Under the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly, but only on the recommendation of the Security Council. That is why the key battle is fought in the council, where representatives of 15 countries sit. Five of them, the US, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom, have a permanent seat and the right of veto. The council first holds secret straw polls, in which each member can encourage or discourage every candidate, or express no opinion. To be recommended, a candidate must get at least nine votes and not a single veto. So far three such polls have been held: on 30 July, 21 August and 18 September.
Eight candidates entered the race, among them former presidents, ministers and senior officials of the UN. According to unofficial results, Rebeca Grynspan from Costa Rica did best in the latest poll. She heads the UN body for trade and development and received nine encouraging votes. In second place was Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, the ambassador of Guyana to the UN, with eight encouraging votes. The Argentine Rafael Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, received five encouraging votes and eight discouraging ones.
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet received only one encouraging vote and a day later withdrew from the race. Thus seven candidates remained in the race, among them four women. So far nine men have led the UN, and many countries believe that it is high time for a woman. Under the informal custom of regional rotation, many believe that now it is the turn of Latin America and the Caribbean. So far only one person from that region has been Secretary-General: the Peruvian Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, from 1982 to 1991.
Whoever wins will inherit an organisation in a severe financial crisis. Guterres warned that the UN is threatened with financial collapse because unpaid dues have exceeded 1.5 billion dollars. In addition, the administration of US President Donald Trump significantly reduced the funding for the UN. The next straw poll could take place after 28 September, when the annual gathering of world leaders in New York ends.