As member countries of the United Nations (UN) prepare to elect a successor to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon later this year, Guyana’s political Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is calling on the President David Granger-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government to make public its choice for the post.
Currently, nine candidates are vying for the top UN job and the PPP in a statement Wednesday said it has been following with interest the mechanisms put in place by the UN to have the position of Secretary General filled and as such, it wanted to know if the Guyana Government has considered any of the candidates.
“The PPP, as a major stakeholder, and without prejudice to any of the contestants, is interested in knowing as to whether or not the Guyana Government has given consideration to any of the named candidates and if so, which from among them it will support when the matter of the vote comes up at the United Nations,” the Party said in a statement.
Those vying for the SG position are former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, Argentine Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, Macedonian diplomat and former Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim, former Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Natalia Gherman, former Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, Slovenian President Danilo Turk and Slovakia’s Deputy Prime Minister Miroslav Lajcak.
A new Secretary General is expected to be elected soon, with Ban’s second term coming to an end on December 31.
Article 97 of the UN Charter provides that: “The Secretary General shall be appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.” In other words, Article 97 creates a two-stage process: a recommendation by the Security Council followed by a decision by the General Assembly.
In Monday’s secret ballot, the fifth in the process, former Portuguese Prime Minister Guterres remained in the lead. The 15-member Security Council will continue holding secret ballots in a bid to reach consensus on a candidate that it then recommends to the 193-member UN General Assembly for election. The next secret ballot is scheduled for October 5.
