U.N. member nations elected five countries to join the powerful U.N. Security Council on Thursday with no suspense or drama because all were unopposed — Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland.
Winning a seat on the 15-member Security Council is considered a pinnacle of achievement for many countries because it gives them a strong voice on issues of international peace and security, reports AP.
The results of the secret ballot vote in the 193-member General Assembly were Ecuador 190, Japan 184, Malta 185, Mozambique 192, and Switzerland 187.
Even if a country is running unopposed, it must obtain the votes of two-thirds of the member states that voted in order to win a seat on the council.
General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid announced the results of the secret-ballot vote and congratulated the winner.
It will be Mozambique and Switzerland’s first time serving on the council, Japan’s 12th time, Ecuador’s third and Malta’s second.
The five new council members will start their terms on Jan. 1, replacing five countries whose two-year terms end on Dec. 31 — India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.
They will join the five veto-wielding permanent members of the council — the United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom and France — and the five countries elected last year: Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates.
The 10 non-permanent seats on the council are allotted to regional groups, who usually select candidates, but sometimes cannot agree on an uncontested slate.
