UN to elect new GA President, council members June 17

Election of the President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) holds on June 17.

Also to be elected same day are new members of the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the world body.

Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, the current UNGA President and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN, announced these in a statement by his spokesperson, Ms Reem Abaza.

Muhammad-Bande said the election would hold in the General Assembly Hall at the organisation’s headquarters in New York in line with social distancing guidelines.

On Friday, the Assembly adopted a new voting protocol titled, “Procedure for holding elections by secret ballot without a plenary meeting during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”.

It is aimed at preventing a large gathering and ensuring social distancing during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Under the new procedure, delegates will cast secret ballots during spaced-out time slots, instead of gathering in the Assembly Hall chamber.

Muhammad-Bande said member countries would be informed of their specific voting time slots five working days prior to the elections.

“The casting of the ballots in the designated venue will be webcast.

“The president will oversee the proceedings in the General Assembly Hall and the tellers will also be observing the whole process,” he said.

Turkish ambassador to the UN, Volkan Bozkir, is the sole candidate for the president of the 75th session of the 193-member General Assembly, which begins in September.

His name was initially sent for unanimous approval, but several countries reportedly requested a vote.

On June 17, seven countries would be contesting for five seats in the security council, which is the most powerful organ of the UN.

Canada, Ireland and Norway are vying for two seats in the group of Western nations. Kenya and Djibouti are battling for one seat to represent Africa.