India won seat in UN Security Council election next month for 5 “non-permanent” members
The United Nations:
The United Nations General Assembly has decided to hold elections for the five non-permanent members of the Security Council next month under new voting arrangements due to COVID-19 restrictions, India has assured that a victory would be the only candidate for the Asia-Pacific seat.
The 193-member General Assembly on Friday adopted the decision entitled “Procedure for holding secret ballot elections without a plenary meeting during the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19)”.
According to the decision, the elections of non-permanent members of the Security Council and the election of members of the Economic and Social Council will be held simultaneously in June 2020 without a plenary session.
The election of the five non-permanent members of the council of 15 nations for the 2021-2022 mandate was initially scheduled for June 17.
India is a candidate for a non-permanent seat and its victory is assured because it is the only candidate vying for the single seat of the Asia-Pacific grouping.
The New Delhi candidacy was unanimously approved last June by the 55 members of the Asia-Pacific group, including China and Pakistan.
From India’s point of view, any change in the voting method will have no impact on its chances. The mandate is due to start in January 2021.
Traditionally, elections to the UNSC are held in the General Assembly Hall, with each of the 193 member states voting by secret ballot.
Now, large face-to-face meetings at the global agency’s headquarters are postponed until the end of June due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the new voting system, the President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, will distribute a letter to all member states at least 10 working days before the first round of the secret ballot, informing them of the date on which the elections will take place, the number of vacant seats, the place where ballots can be cast and other logistical details.
On election day, the voter will be required to go to the designated place during a specific time slot to vote.
Only ballots deposited in the ballot boxes at designated sites will be accepted and no ballot will be accepted after the expiration of the last time slot.
If the total number of ballots cast in all the ballot boxes does not represent at least the majority of the members of the Assembly, the President will send a letter to all the Member States indicating a new date and time for the elections.
The President of the General Assembly will circulate a letter to all Member States to inform them of the results after the voting has ended and the counting of the ballots.
Canada, Ireland and Norway compete for two seats in the Western Europe and other countries category.
Mexico is the only candidate for the seat for Latin America and the Caribbean and Kenya and Djibouti will contest the seat available for the African group.
Previously, India had been elected a non-permanent member of the Council for the years 1950—1951, 1967—1968, 1972—1973, 1977—1978, 1984—1985, 1991—1992 and, more recently, in 2011-2012.
India has been at the forefront of efforts for years to reform the Security Council, saying that it rightly deserves a place as a permanent member of the Council which, in its current form, does not represent not the geopolitical realities of the 21st century.
Each year, the General Assembly elects five non-permanent members (out of 10 in total) for a two-year term.
The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed on a regional basis – five for the African and Asian States; one for the Eastern European States; two for the Latin American and Caribbean States; and two for Western European and other states.
The decision to hold the UNSC elections was adopted through a silence procedure, whereby if no member state objects to the bill within a specified period, the President of the General Assembly will issue a letter confirming adoption of the text.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
