Former Portuguese PM Guterres to be next UN chief

Portugal's former premier Antonio Guterres is set to become the next UN Secretary-General after the Security Council in the sixth straw poll conducted on Wednesday declared him to be the unanimous choice.

Russia's envoy to the UN and President of the Council for October Vitaly Churkin announced that after the sixth straw poll, Guterres has emerged as the "clear favourite" even as hopes for a woman to succeed Ban Ki-moon as the world's top diplomat suffered a major setback.

"Today after our sixth straw poll we have a clear favorite and his name is Antonio Guterres," Churkin told media persons.

Guterres, 67, received 13 encourage votes and two no opinion votes.

The 15-nation Council will go for a formal vote on Thursday, a mere formality, where Guterres's name for the next Secretary-General will be decided upon by acclamation.

"I wish Guterres well in discharging his duties as the Secretary-General of the UN for the next five years," Churkin said, flanked by the Permanent Representatives of all UNSC members.

After the UNSC formal vote, Guterres's name will then be officially transferred to the General Assembly, whose membership historically chooses the candidate that the Council decides upon.

The current Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, is the eighth occupant of the Organisation. He took office in January, 2007 and will end his 10-year tenure on December 31 this year.

Guterres had emerged as the front-runner from the first straw polls that began in July.

There was a growing call several UN member states and civil society organisations to choose a woman as the next Secretary General, given that the world body has had no female head in its 70-year history.

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General congratulated Guterres and said that he would make an excellent Security-General.

"My most sincere congratulations to Antonio Guterres. More than confident that he will be an excellent Secretary-General," Bokova said.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who was also in the fray for the next Secretary-General congratulated Guterres.

"Congratulations Antonio Guterres. Clear winner in selection for the next Secretary-General. A longtime colleague: we were Prime Ministers and UN heads together," she
tweeted.

Kristalina Georgieva, of Bulgaria, the Vice-President for Budget and Human Resources at the European Commission, who had just recently joined the fray, said "Congratulations to Antonio Guterres -- the Secretary-General. Best of luck in pursuing an ambitious agenda for the UN."

However, organisations rallying for a woman to succeed Ban Ki-moon called Guterres selection as a "disaster" for gender equality.

WomanSG campaign, an organisation that had been rallying for a woman Secretary-General said in a statement that the announcement by the Security Council, "with smiling faces", that they have chosen a man for Secretary-General "once again is a disaster for equal rights and gender equality".

"It is unfair to both women and to East Europe and represents the usual backroom deals that still prevail at the UN. There were seven outstanding female candidates and in the end it appears they were never seriously considered. This is an outrage," the organisation said.

Photograph: Jean-Marc Ferre/UN Photo