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Portugal's Antonio Guterres has wide lead in latest straw poll for next UN chief

Xinhua, September 27, 2016 Adjust font size:

Antonio Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal and former head of the UN Refugee Agency, on Monday led the fifth UN Security Council secret and informal straw poll, four points ahead of his nearest rival, Vuk Jeremic, former foreign minister of Serbia and former president of the UN General Assembly.

The actual scoring was 12 in favor of Guterres, two discouraged his candidacy and one had no opinion. While Jeremic scored 8-6-1.

Miroslsav Lajcak, former foreign minister of the Slovak Republic, was third, with 8-7-0.

The 193-member General Assembly is seeking to make the selection process to replace UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is retiring after his maximum two five-year terms on Dec. 31, 2016.

The UN Charter calls only for the 15-member Security Council to recommend a candidate for the post to the assembly to approve.

This year all candidates have sat for two-hour interviews by members of the assembly while the council has held secret ballots which leak widely and quickly.

The nearest woman on the straw poll list was Susanna Malcorra, a former foreign minister of Argentina, who was tied with Danilo Turk, the former president of Slovenia at fourth place, 7-7-1.

The director-general of the UN Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO), Irina Bokova, came in sixth, at 6-7-2. Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand and the current head of the United Nations Development Programme, was tied with Srgjan Kerim, former foreign minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 6-9-0.

The former foreign minister of Moldova, Natalia Gharman, was last at 3-11-1.

There had been a push for the next secretary-general to come from Eastern Europe since there hasn't been one from the region. There also is a strong desire in many quarters for a woman to lead the United Nations.

But, despite the push for favorite groups, there are many saying the next UN chief should be the best person for the job, regardless of whether male or female or what region they may come from. Enditem