2011 United Nations Security Council election explained

Election Date:21 and 24 October 2011
Unsuccessful candidates
(Asian Group)
(Eastern European Group)
(Asian Group)
(African Group)
(Eastern European Group)
The 2011 United Nations Security Council election was held on 21 and 24 October 2011[1] during the Sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo, as the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2012. Azerbaijan was elected after 17 rounds on 24 October, while the other four new members were chosen on 21 October.[2]

Notably, Azerbaijan and Guatemala were elected to the Council for the first time.

Rules

The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms.[3] [4] A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.[5]

In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes,[6] the five available seats are allocated as follows:[7]

To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.[9]

Candidates

Guatemala[10] indicated it would run for the 2012–2013 term, for the seat currently occupied by Brazil. At that time, Guatemala was one of only six original UN Members to have never held a seat on the Security Council.

Azerbaijan,[11] Hungary,[12] [13] and Slovenia[14] [15] all announced their intention to run for the single Eastern European seat. Though Armenia did not run for the seat, the Azerbaijani Trend news agency had previously reported about an Armenian withdrawal of its bid, while reading the alleged candidature as "certainly viewed as Armenia's defeat".[16] The Arab League indicated it would support Azerbaijan's candidature.[17]

Mauritania, Morocco and Togo sought to be elected to the two African seats.[18]

Pakistan had announced its intention to run for the single Asian seat in October 2010. A Pakistani diplomat noted that Pakistan had supported India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat in the 2010 election, and hoped that India would support Pakistan's candidacy in 2011.[19] Fiji had originally sought to run for the seat, but deferred in Pakistan's favour.[20] Kyrgyzstan has also made known its candidacy on 22 September 2011.[21] [22]

Result

African and Asia-Pacific Groups

Fiji had already withdrawn its campaign in favour of Pakistan before the election.[23]

Eastern European Group

Day 1

After eight rounds of inconclusive voting, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser initially decided to reschedule the next round of voting for 24 October following the election of members to the Economic and Social Council. However, Azerbaijan requested the ballot be continued for one more hour; the request was agreed to after Russian support despite opposition from France on the basis of a lack of translation services.[9]

Though Estonia had not applied as a candidate, the 6th and 7th rounds, which were unrestricted, each featured one vote for them.[24]

Day 2

After seven additional inconclusive rounds of voting on 24 October, Slovenia's delegation told the General Assembly that while it believed Slovenia would be a good addition for the Security Council, it did not approve of the way in which the election was being held and was withdrawing its candidacy, observing that "the current result speaks for itself and the object of this body’s support is obvious". In the 17th round that followed, Azerbaijan achieved the necessary 2/3 majority and won the Eastern European seat.[25]

Ramifications

With the election of Pakistan to the Security Council, seven of the nine countries known to have nuclear weapons were members of the Council in 2012: China, France, India, Pakistan, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. (The two nuclear powers not on the Council in 2012 were Israel and North Korea.)[26]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Krause-Jackson, Flavia . Varner, Bill . Kyrgyzstan Bets on Air Base, Woman Reformer in UN Election . https://web.archive.org/web/20111016172820/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-10-13/kyrgyzstan-bets-on-air-base-woman-reformer-in-un-election.html . dead . 16 October 2011 . Businessweek . 13 October 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  2. Web site: UN council elections head into extra rounds . Associated Press . 22 October 2011 . 24 October 2011 . Snow . Anita.
  3. Book: United Nations. Department of Political Affairs. Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council: Supplement 1989–1992. 2008. United Nations Publications. 978-92-1-137030-0. 178.
  4. Book: Benedetto Conforti. The Law And Practice Of The United Nations. 2005. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. 90-04-14309-2. 61.
  5. https://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/chapter5.shtml Charter of the United Nations, Article 23
  6. https://undocs.org/A/RES/1991(XVIII) Resolution 1991 A (XVIII)
  7. Web site: Security Council Elections 2011 . Security Council Report: Special Research Report . 21 September 2011 .
  8. News: Asian group of nations at UN changes its name to Asia-Pacific group. Radio New Zealand International. 31 August 2011. 3 August 2024. http://web.archive.org/web/20131002095821/http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=62791. 2 October 2013. dead.
  9. Web site: General Assembly Elects Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan, Togo as Non-Permanent Members of Security Council . United Nations . 21 October 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  10. Web site: Candidatura al Consejo de Seguridad – Misión Permanente de Guatemala ante las Naciones Unidas . Guatemalaun.org . 24 October 2011 . 8 November 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111108092117/http://www.guatemalaun.org/candidaturacs.cfm . dead .
  11. Web site: Republic of Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Mr. Elmar Mammadyarov at an Annual Coordination Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of the Islamic conference. September 24, 2010, New-York . Mfa.gov.az . 24 September 2010 . 24 October 2011.
  12. Web site: Hungary's candidacy for a Non-Permanent seat on the UN Security Council . Mfa.gov.hu . 26 August 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  13. http://www.mfa.gov.hu/NR/rdonlyres/991B8CE5-D2C3-4A50-B211-1CF793FD6A24/0/UNSC8_EN.pdf Hungary Candidate to the United Nations Security Council 2012–2013
  14. Web site: Permanent representation of the RS to the UN . Newyork.predstavnistvo.si . 24 October 2011.
  15. Web site: Slovenia for the UN Security Council 2012–2013 . Republic of Slovenia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs . 24 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111105052150/http://www.mzz.gov.si/en/foreign_policy/slovenia_for_the_un_security_council_2012_2013/ . 5 November 2011 . dead .
  16. Web site: Armenia never planned to become UN Security Council non-permanent member . PanARMENIAN.Net . 29 April 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  17. Web site: League of Arab States will support Azerbaijan's UNSC bid . Azerbaijan-unsc.com . 24 September 2011 . 24 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120425091349/http://azerbaijan-unsc.com/articles/61/1/ . 25 April 2012 . dead .
  18. Web site: October 2011: Security Council Elections 2011 . Security Council Report . 24 October 2011.
  19. Web site: Pak to bid for non-permanent UNSC seat next year . Hindustan Times . Press Trust of India . 16 October 2010 . 24 October 2011 . 19 October 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101019012301/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Pak-to-bid-for-non-permanent-UNSC-seat-next-year/Article1-613702.aspx . dead .
  20. Web site: Akram, Munir . Bid for UNSC seat . Dawn . 9 October 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  21. Web site: Permanent Mission of Kyrgyzstan at the United Nations – Statements & Documents . https://archive.today/20120805172348/http://www.un.int/wcm/content/site/kyrgyzstan/cache/offonce/pid/3072;jsessionid=C70A94DCA0B9F488CB851F54EC8AF073 . dead . 5 August 2012 . Un.int . 24 October 2011 .
  22. Web site: Press Conference on Upcoming Elections in General Assembly . United Nations . 19 October 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  23. Web site: Bagchi, Indrani . Pakistan tries for UN Security Council, faces unexpected block, but not from India . https://web.archive.org/web/20111013021915/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-11/pakistan/30266585_1_indian-diplomats-india-and-pakistan-indians-and-pakistanis . dead . 13 October 2011 . 11 October 2011 . . 24 October 2011.
  24. Web site: Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo elected to Security Council . United Nations . 21 October 2011 . 24 October 2011.
  25. Web site: Agayeva, S. . Azerbaijan becomes non-permanent UNSC member for 2012–2013 . En.trend.az . 25 October 2011 . 24 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111027171227/http://en.trend.az/news/politics/1949039.html . 27 October 2011 . dead .
  26. Web site: Azerbaijan gets UN Security Council seat . CNN.com . 25 October 2011 . 2 January 2012.

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