Five Countries, Including Kyrgyzstan, Elected as Non-Permanent Members of the UNSC

New Delhi, June 4: On June 4, the United Nations announced that Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe have been elected as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Their term will last for two years.

This marks the first time Kyrgyzstan has secured a seat on the Security Council.

The newly elected members will replace Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, whose terms are concluding. They will assume their seats on January 1, 2027, and will serve until December 31, 2028.

To win a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, a candidate country must obtain at least two-thirds of the votes from the member states present and voting in the United Nations General Assembly. If all 193 member countries participate in the voting, a minimum of 129 votes is required for victory. Countries that abstain from voting are not counted.

According to the Xinhua news agency, there were seven candidates vying for the five available seats this year. Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected in the first round of voting.

Following this, three additional rounds of voting took place, resulting in Kyrgyzstan defeating the Philippines to secure its seat.

The Security Council consists of 15 members, including five permanent members: the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, and the United States. The remaining ten members are non-permanent, with seats allocated based on different geographical regions. Each year, five of these seats are filled by new members.

The newly elected countries represent the African group, the Asia-Pacific group, the Latin American and Caribbean group, and the Western European and other countries group. The Eastern European group’s seat was not included in this election, as Latvia currently holds it until 2027, and it comes up for election every other year.

The Security Council is regarded as the most powerful body within the United Nations. Its primary role is to maintain peace and security worldwide. The Council can make legally binding decisions, impose sanctions, and authorize the use of force when necessary.

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