Costa Rica’s Grynspan tops informal poll for UN chief

Costa Rica’s former vice-president Rebeca Grynspan appeared Wednesday a frontrunner in the race for UN secretary-general as she led informal polling for a fourth time, according to a diplomatic source.

A total of seven candidates — four women and three men — are vying to succeed UN chief Antonio Guterres, of Portugal, who ends his second five-year term on Dec 31, 2026.

The selection process is fraught with uncertainty as a single veto from one of the five permanent members of the 15-member UN Security Council can block a potential nominee.

In Wednesday’s poll held behind closed doors, Security Council members anonymously assigned each candidate one of three ratings: “encourage,” “discourage,” or “no opinion”.

According to a diplomatic source, Grynspan came out on top with nine “encourage,” six “discourage,” and zero “no opinion.” This is the fourth time she has led the poll out of five rounds held since July.

The veteran diplomat’s performance, however, is weaker than in a previous vote on Sept 29, after which she had received only three “discourage,” along with 10 “encourage” and two “no opinion.”

Argentine Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, came second with six “encourage,” seven “discourage” and two “no opinion.”

Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, former foreign minister of Guyana, came third.

Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15 available in the Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by the five major powers, which are deeply divided.

Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all UN members for confirmation.

It is tradition that the UN’s top job should rotate between different regions. Under that premise, the role should go to a candidate from Latin America this time.

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