Date: July 30, 2026
By Kimberly Wilson
UNITED NATIONS, New York — Former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the early front-runner in the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after receiving the strongest support in the first informal straw poll conducted by the U.N. Security Council. The non-binding vote marks the opening stage of the process to choose a successor to António Guterres, whose second and final term ends at the close of 2026.
The confidential poll, held behind closed doors on Thursday, saw Grynspan receive 10 "encourage" votes, one "discourage" vote, and four "no opinion" votes from the Security Council's 15 members. Diplomats said the result placed her ahead of the other six candidates currently competing for the U.N.'s top post.
Trailing Grynspan was Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, the former Foreign Minister of Guyana, who received nine "encourage" votes, while Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), placed third with seven "encourage" votes.
Other candidates in the race include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and veteran Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu. Additional rounds of voting are expected over the coming months as Security Council members work toward identifying a consensus candidate.
The informal straw polls allow Security Council members to express one of three positions—"encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion"—without publicly revealing how individual countries voted. At this stage, the ballots do not distinguish between the Council's five permanent veto-wielding members and its ten elected members. Later rounds will use colour-coded ballots to indicate whether a permanent member may exercise its veto against a candidate.
Grynspan currently serves as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and has held several senior international leadership roles. If ultimately selected, she would become the first woman and the first person of Jewish heritage to serve as U.N. Secretary-General, marking a historic milestone for the organization.
The selection process is expected to continue through several additional straw polls before the Security Council formally recommends one candidate to the U.N. General Assembly. To be appointed, a candidate must secure at least nine votes in the Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The next Secretary-General will inherit an organization confronting numerous global challenges, including armed conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate change, humanitarian crises, and growing geopolitical divisions among major powers. The incoming leader will also face continued calls for reforms aimed at strengthening the effectiveness and credibility of the United Nations.
While Grynspan's strong showing provides early momentum, diplomats caution that the contest remains in its initial stages. Previous U.N. leadership races have often required multiple rounds of voting before a consensus candidate emerged, and the positions of the permanent Security Council members will ultimately play a decisive role in determining who succeeds António Guterres as the world's top diplomat.