United Nations Security Council election, 2011

2010 ← 21 and 24 October 2011 → 2012

5 (of 10) non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council

Composition of the UNSC after the 2011 election

Members before election  Gabon (Africa)  Nigeria (Africa)  Brazil (LatAm&Car)  Lebanon (Asia, Arab)  Bosnia and Herzegovina (E. Europe) New Members  Morocco (Africa, Arab)  Togo (Africa)  Guatemala (LatAm&Car)  Pakistan (Asia)  Azerbaijan (E. Europe)

Unsuccessful candidates

Fiji (Asian Group)

Hungary (Eastern European Group)

Kyrgyzstan (Asian Group)

Mauritania (African Group)

Slovenia (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]

Rules [edit]

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]

• Two for African countries (held by Gabon and Nigeria), with one of them being the "Arab swing seat"
• One for countries from the Asia-Pacific Group^[8] (held by Lebanon)
• One for Latin America and the Caribbean (held by Brazil)
• One for the Eastern European Group (held by Bosnia and Herzegovina)

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 [edit]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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 [edit]

African Group [edit]

African Group election results
Member	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3
Morocco	151	—	—
Togo	119	119	131
Mauritania	98	72	61
abstentions	0	2	1
required majority	129	128	128

Asia-Pacific Group [edit]

Asia-Pacific Group election results
Member	Round 1
Pakistan	129
Kyrgyzstan	55
Fiji	1

Fiji had already withdrawn its campaign in favour of Pakistan before the election.^[23]

Latin American and Caribbean Group [edit]

Guatemala ran unopposed for the GRULAC seat, and was elected with 191 votes in the first round of voting, with two abstentions.^[9]

Eastern European Group [edit]

Day One [edit]

Eastern European Group election results — day one
Member	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Round 4	Round 5	Round 6	Round 7	Round 8	Round 9[2]
Azerbaijan	74	90	93	93	98	96	100	110	113
Slovenia	67	97	99	98	93	95	91	80	77
Hungary	52	—	—	—	1	—	—	—	—
Estonia	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	—	—
ballot papers	193	193	193	192	193	193	193	191	191
abstentions	—	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
invalid votes	—	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
required majority	129	125	128	128	128	128	128	127	127

After eight rounds of inconclusive voting, General Assembly President Nassir Abdulaziz al-Nasser initially decided to re-schedule 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 round, which was unrestricted, featured one vote for them.^[24]

Day Two [edit]

Eastern European Group election results — day two
Member	Round 10	Round 11	Round 12	Round 13	Round 14	Round 15	Round 16	Round 17
Azerbaijan	110	110	111	111	110	117	116	155
Slovenia	83	82	81	80	81	76	77	13
Hungary	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1
ballot papers	193	193	193	192	192	193	193	193
abstentions	—	1	1	1	1	—	—	24
required majority	129	128	128	128	128	129	129	113

After 7 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 as the "will of the Assembly was clear".^[25][26] In the 17th round that followed, Azerbaijan achieved the necessary 2/3 majority and won the Eastern European seat.^[27]

Ramifications [edit]

With the election of Pakistan to the Security Council, seven of the nine countries known to have nuclear weapons are 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 are Israel and North Korea).^[28]

See also [edit]

• List of members of the United Nations Security Council
• Pakistan and the United Nations
• Fiji and the United Nations
• European Union and the United Nations

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• UN Document A/66/PV.37 Official record of General Assembly meeting, 21 October 2011, 10 a.m.
• UN Document A/66/PV.38 Official record of General Assembly meeting, 21 October 2011, 3.45 p.m.
• UN Document A/66/PV.39 Official record of General Assembly meeting, 24 October 2011, 10 a.m.