Politics1 min read

Turkey nominates OSCE chief Sinirlioglu for UN's top job

By · Via Middle East Eye · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formalized the candidacy by submitting a letter dated Friday to the leadership of both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. The move aims to resolve a deadlock in the selection process following Friday's inconclusive straw poll. Any successful candidate must secure at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council while avoiding a veto from the five major powers. Once approved by the council, the nominee faces final confirmation before the full General Assembly.

Key points

  • A prospective secretary-general must secure nine Security Council votes without receiving…: A prospective secretary-general must secure nine Security Council votes without receiving a veto from any permanent member.
  • The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe leader has entered the race to s…: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe leader has entered the race to succeed the outgoing chief.
  • The full United Nations General Assembly holds the authority to provide final confirmatio…: The full United Nations General Assembly holds the authority to provide final confirmation for the selected candidate.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Turkey has nominated Feridun Hadi Sinirlioglu, leader of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), to be the next UN secretary-general, the country's official Anadolu news agency reported on Saturday.

A nomination letter dated Friday from Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been submitted to the presidents of the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, Anadolu said, citing Turkish foreign ministry sources.

The move came after a deadlock in the selection process, with the latest straw poll at the UN Security Council held on Friday returning an inconclusive outcome, the sources told the news agency.

The outgoing secretary-general, Antonio Guterres of Portugal, ends his second five-year term on December 31.

Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15 available in the Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by the five major powers, which are deeply divided.

Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all UN members for confirmation.

Report by AFP

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