Russia Says New UN Secretary-General Should Be Elected by Year-End

Dragon Media News Desk

A new United Nations secretary-general should be elected by December 31 to avoid uncertainty over who will lead the organisation’s administration, Russian Foreign Ministry official Kirill Logvinov said.

Speaking to TASS on the sidelines of bilateral consultations in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Logvinov said the current secretary-general’s term ends on December 31. Efforts were under way to complete the appointment process by then, including direct engagement with candidates and rounds of straw polls, he said.

Logvinov said it remained unclear what would happen after the current secretary-general’s term ends. Options under consideration include temporarily extending the incumbent’s term or appointing one of the current deputy secretaries-general as acting secretary-general.

The deputy secretaries-general’s plans could also affect the transition, he said. Some had indicated that they intended to leave, while the first deputy secretary-general’s term is tied to that of the secretary-general. The first deputy would not automatically take over when the secretary-general leaves, Logvinov said, warning that the circumstances could create avoidable uncertainty.