UAE's Lana Nusseibeh ranks fourth in UN chief straw poll

The race to replace United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres intensified on Friday as the Security Council conducted an informal straw poll. The voting session determined the current standing of candidates ahead of Guterres's term expiration on December 31.

Lana Nusseibeh, the diplomatic choice of the United Arab Emirates, placed fourth in the initial count. She secured seven encouraging votes from the 15-member body. Six members cast discourage votes, while two offered no opinion. The result places her behind top contenders but ahead of other late entrants.

Nusseibeh has served as a senior official for the UAE’s UN mission for the past decade. Abu Dhabi formally nominated her on October 21. The council members voted using plain paper ballots, a practice that prevents diplomats from identifying which permanent members cast negative ballots.

To advance to the General Assembly, a candidate requires at least nine favorable votes and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent council members. The United States, Britain, France, China, and Russia hold these veto powers. The voting process remains opaque regarding the specific positions of these major powers.

Criticism of Nusseibeh’s candidacy has grown from human rights groups and civil society organizations. These groups point to her previous role in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During that tenure, she defended Abu Dhabi against UN reports linking the state to arms supplies for the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.

Sudan’s permanent mission to the UN expressed doubts about Nusseibeh’s impartiality. The office stated it had fundamental questions regarding her credibility. Officials accused her of building a career on defending a record they described as enabling genocide and sexual violence in Sudan. They argued the UAE requires accountability rather than a global leadership reward.

Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan leads the field with eleven encouraging votes. She enjoys strong support from Latin American and Caribbean states, which assert that the post should rotate to their region. Turkey joined the race just hours after the Friday vote concluded. It nominated Feridun Sinirlioglu, a former UN envoy and current head of the OSCE. The total number of official candidates now stands at seven.