Global Policy Forum

By Irwin Arieff

Six nations are competing in October 10 elections for five coveted two-year seats on the 15-nation U.N. Security Council, U.N. diplomats said on Tuesday. Council members are elected by secret ballot in the 191-nation U.N. General Assembly, which has to approve candidates by a two-thirds majority. Five seats open up on January 1 with the departure of Algeria, Benin, Brazil, Philippines and Romania. Candidates are put forward by regional groupings, and this year just one of the five vacant seats is being contested.

Both Nicaragua and Peru are seeking to succeed Brazil in a seat earmarked for Latin America, and diplomats from both countries are predicting victory. "We've waged a strong campaign, but inside the General Assembly hall, anything can happen," Nicaraguan Ambassador Eduardo Sevilla Somoza told Reuters.

In other regions, Ghana and the Congo Republic are unopposed for two African seats being vacated by Algeria and Benin; Slovakia is unopposed for an Eastern European slot opened up by Romania's departure; and Qatar is slated to win the seat set aside for Asia and now held by the Philippines, diplomats said.

The Security Council, the world body's most powerful organ, is responsible for decisions on issues of war and peace, sanctions against nations and peacekeeping. Its decisions can be legally binding on all U.N. members. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and many governments have been pushing hard for an expansion of the council as the United Nations celebrates its 60th birthday, arguing its composition still reflects the post-World War II balance of power when few developing nations were independent. But the effort has faltered due to regional and national competition over who would get the seats.

The council has five permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. Because of their staggered two-year terms, half the council's 10 non-permanent seats change hands every year. Current members Argentina, Denmark, Greece, Japan and Tanzania began their terms in January 2005 and will remain on the council for another year.

Most U.N. members still consider the council's composition outdated and unrepresentative. But any change would be difficult, requiring the approval of two-thirds of UN General Assembly members.

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