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 declared him to be the unanimous choice.

• An indirect Secretary-General election will be held to choose the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations in October 2016 to replace Ban Ki-moon, whose term concludes 31 December 2016.
• Guterres( 67), would replace Ban Ki-moon(72) of South Korea, who will step down at the end of 2016 after serving two terms. Guterres was Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002.
• Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin, president of the 15-member council would unanimously recommend Guterres, who was also the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015.

DO YOU KNOW?

• The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNSG or just SG) is the head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations.
• The Secretary-General also acts as the de facto spokesperson and leader of the United Nations. Their role is laid out by Chapter XV (Articles 97 to 101) of the United Nations Charter.
• Article 97 of the United Nations Charter determines that the Secretary-General is “appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.“
• As the recommendation must come from the Security Council, any of the five permanent members of the Council can veto a nomination.