Five countries have been elected as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for a two-year term starting in January 2027.
Following a tense secret ballot held at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on June 3, Zimbabwe, Trinidad and Tobago, Portugal, Austria and Kyrgyzstan secured their seats.
The UNSC’s task is to maintain international peace, holding the unique power to impose sanctions, authorise military action and issue legally binding resolutions.
Control rests heavily with its five permanent members, namely the United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China and France, who each hold a veto power that can instantly block any major measure.
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Initial voting results
In the first round of voting, candidates needed a two-thirds majority of 127 votes to secure a seat.
According to voting data, Zimbabwe comfortably clinched the African Group seat with 182 votes, while Trinidad and Tobago secured the Latin American and Caribbean seat with 181 votes, despite a single anomalous vote cast for Guyana.
The Western European and Others Group featured a three-way race for two available seats.
Portugal and Austria successfully crossed the threshold, securing 134 and 131 votes respectively.
Germany failed to secure a seat, bowing out after receiving only 105 votes in the opening round.
The newly elected members will replace departing members Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.
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Asia-Pacific runoff
A runoff voting occurred in the Asia-Pacific Group, where Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines faced off for a single seat.
Neither country achieved the required 127 votes in the first round, with Kyrgyzstan leading at 105 votes against the Philippines’ 85 votes.
This deadlock triggered multiple rounds of restrictive voting.
In the second round, Kyrgyzstan edged forward with 110 votes to the Philippines’ 81. By the third round, Kyrgyzstan widened its lead to 123 votes, while the Philippines dropped to 68.
The deadlock finally broke in the fourth round, where Kyrgyzstan surpassed the adjusted 128-vote threshold by securing 142 votes, leaving the Philippines with 49.
Historical milestones
This election marks a historic milestone for Kyrgyzstan, which has never served on the Security Council since joining the United Nations in 1992, according to UN news.
GMA News Online reported that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the defeat but extended congratulations to Kyrgyzstan, emphasising that the Philippines remains fully committed to advancing global peace and multilateralism through alternative international avenues.
The current members of the UNSC are Bahrain, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama, Russian Federation, Somalia, United Kingdom and the United States.
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Maybelene Marcelino 
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