A/78/PV.86 General Assembly

The General Assembly will 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 2024. The five outgoing non-permanent members are: Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland. Those five States are not eligible to be re-elected today. Their names should therefore not appear on the ballot papers. Apart from the five permanent members, the Security Council will include the following States in 2025: Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia. The names of those States should therefore also not appear on the ballot papers. Of the five non-permanent members that will remain in office in the year 2025, two are from among the African States, one is from among the Asia-Pacific States, one is from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, and one is from the Eastern European States. Pursuant to paragraph 3 of resolution 1991 A (XVIII), of 17 December 1963, the five non-permanent members should be elected according to the following pattern: two from the African and Asia-Pacific States, one from the Latin American and Caribbean States and two from the Western European and other States. The ballot papers reflect that pattern. In accordance with established practice, there is an understanding to the effect that, of the two States to be elected from among the African and Asia-Pacific States, one should be an African State and one should be an Asia-Pacific State. I should like to inform the Assembly that those candidates — their number not to exceed the number of seats to be filled from each region — receiving the greatest number of votes and a two-thirds majority of those present and voting will be declared elected. If the number of candidates obtaining a two-thirds majority is less than the number of members to be elected, there shall be additional ballots to fill the remaining places, the voting being restricted to the candidates obtaining the greatest number of votes in the previous ballot to a number not more than twice the number of places remaining to be filled. Also consistent with past practice, in the case of a tie vote, and when it becomes necessary to determine the candidate or candidates to be elected or that will proceed to the next round of restricted balloting, there will be a special restricted ballot limited to those candidates that have obtained an equal number of votes. May I take it that the General Assembly agrees to those procedures?

Regarding candidatures, I have been informed of the following. For the two vacant seats from among the African and Asia-Pacific States, two endorsed candidates have been communicated, namely, Somalia and Pakistan. For the one vacant seat from among the Latin American and Caribbean States, one endorsed candidate has been communicated, namely, Panama. For the two vacant seats from among the Western European and other States, two candidates have been communicated, namely, Denmark and Greece. 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. Any announcements, including those concerning withdrawals of candidatures, should therefore be made prior to the commencement of the voting process, that is to say, before the announcement of the beginning of the voting process. In addition, ballot papers will only be given to the delegate seated directly behind the country’s nameplate. 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. In accordance with resolution 71/323, of 8 September 2017, the names of the States that have been communicated to the Secretariat at least 48 hours prior to the election today have been printed on the ballot papers for each of the regional groups. Also, additional blank lines corresponding to the number of vacant seats to be filled for each of the regional groups have been provided on the ballot papers for inscribing other names if desirable. I request representatives to use only those ballot papers that have been distributed and to put an “X” in the boxes next to the names of the Member States, from the relevant region, for which they wish to vote and/or to write other eligible names on the blank lines. If the box next to the name printed on the ballot paper is checked, the name of that State does not need to be repeated on the blank line. The total number of checked boxes and/ or handwritten names should not exceed the number of vacant seats to be filled, as indicated on the ballot paper. A ballot paper will be declared invalid if it contains more names of Member States from the relevant region than the number of seats allocated to it. Accordingly, on the ballot papers marked “A”, for the African and Asia-Pacific States, the total number of checked boxes and handwritten names should not exceed two; on the ballot papers marked “B”, for the Latin American and Caribbean States, the total number of checked boxes and handwritten names should not exceed one; and on the ballot papers marked “C”, for the Western European and other States, the total number of checked boxes and handwritten names should not exceed two. A ballot paper will be declared invalid if none of the names of the Member States on that ballot for which votes were cast belong to the relevant region. If a ballot paper for a region contains one of the following, the ballot remains valid, but the vote for those Member States will not be counted: Member States that do not belong to the region concerned or Member States that continue to be members of the Council during this year and the next year. If a ballot paper contains any notation other than votes in favour of eligible candidates, those notations will be disregarded.

I request delegations that may not have voted to do so now by approaching the front of the Hall to cast their votes. The voting is now closed. No more ballot papers will be accepted.

The result of the voting is as follows: Group A — African and Asia-Pacific States (2 seats) Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 5 Number of members present and voting: 185 Required two-thirds majority: 124 Number of votes obtained: Pakistan: 182 Somalia: 179 Group B — Latin American and Caribbean States (1 seat) Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 6 Number of members present and voting: 184 Required two-thirds majority: 123 Number of votes obtained: Panama: 183 Argentina: 1 Group C: Western European and other States (2 seats) Number of ballot papers: 190 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 190 Abstentions: 2 Number of members present and voting: 188 Required two-thirds majority: 126 Number of votes obtained: Denmark: 184 Greece: 182 Italy: 1 Norway: 1 Having obtained the required two-thirds majority and the largest number of votes, Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia are elected members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2025 (decision 78/414)

I congratulate the States that have just been elected members of the Security Council. I thank the tellers for their assistance in the election. The General Assembly has thus concluded its consideration of sub-item (a) of agenda item 113.