Wednesday, September 30, 2026Track recordHow this worksGet the morning email

The Likely

The news, and what's likely next.

Washington

Rebeca Grynspan narrowly leads informal poll for UN secretary-general

An informal Security Council poll on September 29 put Rebeca Grynspan narrowly ahead in the race to become the next UN Secretary-General.

How we got here

  1. The presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council formally initiated the selection process via a joint letter. Un
  2. Grynspan led the first straw poll with 10 encourage votes, ahead of Rodrigues-Birkett and Grossi. 1For8Billion
  3. Rodrigues-Birkett took the lead in the second straw poll, while Grynspan placed second with seven encourage votes. Securitycouncilreport, 1For8Billion
  4. Grynspan received nine encourage votes in the third poll, while Rodrigues-Birkett received eight. 1For8Billion, Whbl
  5. An informal Security Council poll put Grynspan at the front of the race for UN Secretary-General. Reuters
  6. Guterres’s term is due to end. Un
  7. The next Secretary-General is expected to begin work. Un

What's likely next

  1. The Security Council must recommend a candidate to the General Assembly, which makes the formal appointment; the cited sources do not give a date for that recommendation or appointment.

All coverage

Something wrong or missing? Tell us.

More stories