New York, 3 October 2006 – The Security Council has scheduled a private meeting for Monday, 9 October, at 9:30 am to formally decide on the Council’s selection for the next UN Secretary-General.

Before the 9 October vote, new candidates are permitted to present themselves. However, Ban Ki-Moon is currently the leading candidate, according to Permanent Representatives speaking to the press on 2 and 3 October. Shashi Tharoor said upon his withdrawal from the process that, “It is clear that he will be our next Secretary-General.” (Mr. Tharoor’s withdrawal will be formalized upon a statement from the government of India.)

The “affirmative vote” of nine Council members including the “concurring vote” of the five permanent members is required for a candidate to be nominated. In other words, as long as none of the permanent members block a candidate’s selection with a veto and at least four other members vote for him or her, that person may be nominated formally by the Security Council. The rules of the vote were established in General Assembly Resolution 11(1) of 1946.

That Resolution also states that it would be “desirable” for the Council to nominate only one candidate to the General Assembly for consideration. The prospect of allowing for multiple nominees was debated this year by a working group on “GA revitalization.” On 2 October a reporter asked U.S. ambassador John Bolton about the chances for this after Monday’s vote, and Bolton responded, “I see no chance of that at all.”

If the 9 October vote is decisive, a Security Council Resolution recommending the candidate will be presented to the President of the General Assembly, said the office of the President of the General Assembly today. The GA president will then initiate discussion within the General Assembly. No meeting has been scheduled yet for this discussion.

GA President Al Khalifa’s office said that while no protocol or timeline exists for the General Assembly’s consideration of the recommended candidate, the discussion would be initiated quickly.

Member States will have the opportunity to raise objections to the recommendation. However, in the absence of significant objections, the Assembly could approve the candidate almost immediately. Resolution 11(1)’s guidance for the nominee’s appointment: “a simple majority of the members of that body present and voting is sufficient, unless the General Assembly itself decides that a two-thirds majority is called for.”