Follow-up - INA
For the first time, Germany has failed to obtain a seat on the UN Security Council, as Portugal and Austria garnered the majority of votes for the two seats allocated to Western Europe, with their representation set to begin in 2027.
The Security Council consists of 15 members: five permanent members—the United States, Russia, China, France, and Britain—and ten members elected from the rest of the world for a two-year term.
In a secret ballot conducted by the General Assembly to select Europe's representatives, Portugal received 134 votes and Austria received 131 votes.
Meanwhile, Germany, which has held a seat for six previous terms, received 104 votes.
Germany, a member of the G7, is the largest economy in Europe and is viewed as a political and security anchor for the continent.
Zimbabwe won the African seat with 182 votes, but it was the sole candidate for the continent, while Trinidad and Tobago, which also faced no competition, won the Latin American and Caribbean seat with 181 votes.
A second round will be held on Wednesday to select representatives for Asia, where the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan are competing to win the seat allocated to the continent.
The five elected countries will replace Pakistan, Somalia, Greece, Denmark, and Panama starting January 1, 2027.
These countries will join the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Latvia, Colombia, and Bahrain, the other five elected members for the years 2026 and 2027.
