In brief
Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said the Ankara government officially nominated OSCE chief Feridun Sinirlioglu as its candidate for the UN secretary‑general role, following an inconclusive straw poll at the Security Council. The nomination is part of a broader process that requires at least nine votes in the Security Council, with any of the five permanent members able to veto a candidate. Eight other nominees have already been put forward for the post as the incumbent term ends on December 31.
Turkey has officially put OSCE secretary‑general Feridun Sinirlioglu forward as its candidate for the United Nations secretary‑general position, sources at the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Friday, after a dead‑locked straw poll in the Security Council.
In a letter dated Friday, Turkish UN envoy Ahmet Yildiz transmitted President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s nomination to the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council, following UN Charter and a General Assembly resolution.
Sinirlioglu’s candidacy comes as the Security Council’s latest vote ended inconclusively, leaving the election process stalled. A candidate needs the support of at least nine Security Council members, and any of the five permanent members – the US, China, France, Russia and the UK – can veto a nominee.
The final decision rests with the General Assembly, where a joint decision of the Council is considered a formality once a candidate is agreed upon, sources said.
Current UN secretary‑general Antonio Guterres’ term will end on Dec. 31. Eight other candidates have already been nominated, including Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan, former Argentine head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese president Macky Sall, Guyana’s UN ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett, former Ecuadorian Assembly president Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu and Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A‑Baki.
