UN Secretary-General Race: Breakdown of Results for Straw Poll 3 Leaked
- Rebeca Grynspan topped the third Security Council straw poll on September 18, 2026, receiving the highest number of encourage votes among eight candidates
- Several high-profile candidates including Rafael Grossi and Macky Sall recorded more discourage than encourage votes in the latest round
- Michelle Bachelet and Ivonne A-Baki received the weakest results, with both collecting double-digit discourage tallies from Security Council members
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The United Nations Security Council conducted its third straw poll for the position of UN Secretary-General on September 18, 2026, with Rebeca Grynspan emerging as the frontrunner after securing nine encourage votes from the 15-member body.
Grynspan, who currently serves as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), received five discourage votes and one no-opinion vote, giving her the strongest overall showing of the eight candidates assessed in the round.
Source: UGC
How the other candidates performed
According to 1for8billion and PassBlue, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett finished second with eight encourage votes against six discourage votes and one no-opinion. Olara Otunnu, Rafael Grossi, and Macky Sall each received five encourage votes, though their discourage tallies differed: Otunnu drew seven discourages and three no-opinions, Grossi collected eight discourages and two no-opinions, while Sall recorded nine discourages and one no-opinion.
María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés received just three encourage votes, six discourages, and six no-opinions, placing her in the lower half of the field.
The weakest results belonged to Michelle Bachelet and Ivonne A-Baki. Bachelet received one encourage vote and 11 discourages, with three members expressing no opinion. A-Baki received no encourage votes at all, drawing 10 discourages and five no-opinions.
Source: UGC
What the straw poll means
The Security Council uses straw polls as informal, non-binding ballots to gauge support for candidates before a formal vote takes place. Results from each round help narrow the field and signal to candidates whether they have sufficient backing to remain competitive. A candidate typically needs broad support, including from the five permanent members, to advance successfully.
The September 18 poll was the third such round in the current selection process, suggesting the race to succeed the incumbent Secretary-General remains contested, with no candidate yet securing a commanding lead across all 15 council members.
Source: Legit.ng
