UN Secretary-General Race: Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan Leads First Vote

Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as the early frontrunner to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after receiving the strongest backing in the first informal vote by the UN Security Council.

The 15-member Security Council held a secret “straw poll” on Thursday as the search begins for a successor to António Guterres, whose second term ends at the close of 2026. Grynspan, who currently heads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), received 10 “encourage” votes, according to diplomatic sources.

Guyana’s UN ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, came second with nine votes, while Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, received seven. The poll also included four other candidates, including former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and former Senegalese President Macky Sall.

The vote does not determine who will become the next UN chief. It is an informal and non-binding exercise designed to show which candidates currently have the strongest support and where opposition may exist. The candidates are assessed through confidential ballots in which Security Council members can indicate whether they encourage, discourage, or have no opinion about a candidate.

Grynspan’s early lead nevertheless gives her an important position in a race that could continue for several months. The next Secretary-General will ultimately need the backing of the Security Council before the General Assembly formally appoints the winner. The five permanent members- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States hold veto power, meaning strong support from other countries alone cannot guarantee victory.

Grynspan, a former Vice President of Costa Rica, has led UNCTAD since 2021, having previously served as a senior United Nations official and economist. Costa Rica formally nominated her for the Secretary-General position in March.

Her leading position also puts a woman at the center of a historic possibility for the United Nations. The organisation has never had a woman serve as Secretary-General since its creation in 1945.

The selection process comes at a difficult moment for the United Nations, which is facing wars, geopolitical divisions, humanitarian crises and continuing calls for reform. The next Secretary-General will therefore inherit an organisation under pressure to remain effective despite disagreements among its most powerful member states.

For now, however, Grynspan has the strongest early momentum. Whether that lead survives the coming stages will depend heavily on the positions of the permanent Security Council members and on each candidate’s ability to build broader international support.

The final decision will not be made by the Security Council alone. Once the Council agrees on a candidate and formally recommends that person, the 193-member UN General Assembly will appoint the next Secretary-General.