Austria and Portugal elected as new members of the UN Security Council
Kyiv • UNN
The UN General Assembly has elected Austria, Portugal, and three other countries to the Security Council. The new members will begin their two-year term on January 1, 2027.
The UN General Assembly has elected Austria, Portugal, Zimbabwe, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kyrgyzstan as new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
The elected states will take their seats on the Security Council for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2027. During the voting, Kyrgyzstan edged out the Philippines for the final vacant seat.
The UN Security Council consists of 15 members—five permanent and ten non-permanent. Every two years, half of the non-permanent members are replaced. Following the results of the current vote, Germany failed to secure a seat in the body.
Five countries hold veto power
The United States, China, Great Britain, France, and Russia remain permanent members of the Security Council. Each of these states holds veto power, allowing them to block any decision of the Council.
The Security Council is the primary UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security, and its decisions are binding for the organization's member states.