Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is expected to handle the position of UN General Secretary after the unanimous decision was taken in favour of him, on the sixth secret ballot meeting on Wednesday.
The ballot meeting took place between UN’s 15-members council, out of which 13 encourage votes were for Guterres and two no opinion votes. None of the veto-wielding power country, that is Russia, France, China, Britain and the United States, voted against him. However, one of the no opinion vote was cast by one of these members.
He is going to be formally endorsed by the 15 members of the secret ballot, in front of the 193-member council of General Assembly of the election on Thursday morning meeting. Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s UN ambassador and President of the 15 member council, said in an interview that the council’s clear favourite is Antonio Guterres.
Guterres is going to replace Ban Ki-Moon who is the current General Secretary of UN as he is stepping down, after his effectual two four-year terms, at the end of the year 2016.
Antonio Guterres was Portugal’s Prime Minister for two terms, 1995-2002, and was the World Bodies High Commissioner for Refugees for almost a decade until just last year. He is considered one of the most influential and renowned politicians in Portugal due to his ability to handle the crisis in the country from his term of Prime Minister to the current date.
He is being considered to be the best person for this job because of his experience as said by various General Assembly of the election.
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6 October 2016
Jyotsna Amla