A/64/PV.20 General Assembly
110. Elections to fill vacancies in principal organs (a) Election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council The President (spoke in Arabic): The General Assembly will now proceed to the election of five non-permanent members of the Security Council to replace those members whose term of office expires on 31 December 2009. The five outgoing non-permanent members are the following: Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and Viet Nam. Those five States cannot be re-elected. Their names, therefore, should not appear on the ballot papers. Apart from the five permanent members, the Security Council will include in the year 2010 the following States: Austria, Japan, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda. The names of those States, therefore, should also not appear on the ballot papers. Of the five non-permanent members that will remain in office in the year 2010, two are from Africa and Asia, one is from Latin America and the Caribbean and two are from Western European and other States. Consequently, pursuant to paragraph 3 of General Assembly resolution 1991 A (XVIII), of 17 December 1963, the five non-permanent members should be elected according to the following pattern: three from Africa and Asia, one from Eastern Europe and one from Latin America and the Caribbean. The ballot papers reflect that pattern. In accordance with established practice, there is an understanding to the effect that, of the three States to be elected from Africa and Asia, two should be from Africa and one from Asia. I should like to inform the Assembly that those candidates, their number not exceeding the number of seats to be filled, receiving the greatest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of those present and voting, will be declared elected. In the case of a tie vote for a remaining seat, there will be a restricted ballot limited to those candidates that have obtained an equal number of votes. May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to that procedure?
It was so decided.
In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, the election shall be held by secret ballot and there shall be no nominations.
Regarding candidatures, I have been informed by the Chairpersons of the respective regional groups of the following. For the three vacant seats from among the African and Asian States, there are three endorsed candidates, namely, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria. For the one vacant seat from among the Eastern European States, there is one endorsed candidate, namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the one vacant seat from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, there is one endorsed candidate, namely, Brazil.
In accordance with rule 92 of the rules of procedure, we shall now proceed to the election by secret ballot.
Before we begin the voting process, I should like to remind members that, pursuant to rule 88 of the rules of procedure of the General Assembly, no representative shall interrupt the voting except on a point of order on the actual conduct of the voting.
We shall now begin the voting process. Members are requested to remain seated until all ballots have been collected.
Ballot papers marked “A”, “B” and “C” will now be distributed. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed.
May I ask representatives to write clearly on the ballot papers marked “A”, for the African and Asian States, the names of the three States for which they wish to vote; on the ballot papers marked “B”, for the Eastern European States, the name of the one State for which they wish to vote; and on the ballot papers marked “C”, for the Latin American and Caribbean States, the names of the one State for which they wish to vote.
A ballot will be declared invalid if it contains more names of Member States from the relevant region than the number of seats assigned to it. A ballot will also be declared invalid if all the names of the Member States on that ballot do not belong to the relevant region. If a ballot paper contains names of Member States that do not belong to that region, the ballot remains valid, but only the names of the Member States that belong to the relevant region will be counted. The names of Member States that do not belong to that region will not be counted at all. A vote was taken by secret ballot. The meeting was suspended at 10.30 a.m. and resumed at 11.30 a.m. The President: The result of the voting is as follows: Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 0 Number of members voting: 190 Required two-thirds majority: 127 Number of votes obtained: Nigeria 186 Gabon 184 Lebanon 180 Togo 1 Sierra Leone 1 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 1 Liberia 1 Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 7 Number of members voting: 183 Required two-thirds majority: 122 Number of votes obtained: Bosnia and Herzegovina 183 Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 7 Number of members voting: 183 Required two-thirds majority: 122 Number of votes obtained: Brazil 182 Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) 1 Having obtained the required two-thirds majority, the following States were elected members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning 1 January 2010: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Gabon, Lebanon and Nigeria. The President: I congratulate the States that have been elected members of the Security Council, and I thank the tellers for their assistance in this election. This concludes our consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 110.
At the invitation of the President, Ms. Weston (Australia), Ms. Del Águila-Castillo (Guatemala), Ms. Würtz (Hungary), Ms. Beshimova (Kyrgyzstan), Mr. Blatter (Switzerland) and Mr. Chigejo (Zimbabwe) acted as tellers.
Group A — African and Asian States
Group B — Eastern European States
Group C — Latin American and Caribbean States
The meeting rose at 11.35 a.m.