Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe have been chosen as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for a two-year period. This marks Kyrgyzstan’s first time serving on the Security Council. The new members will take over from the current non-permanent members on January 1, 2027, and serve until December 31, 2028.
To secure a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, a candidate must receive the support of two-thirds of the UN member states present and voting at the General Assembly session. This requires a minimum of 129 positive votes if all 193 member states participate in the voting process. Abstentions are considered as not voting.
Out of the seven candidates vying for the five available seats, Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe secured their positions in the first round of voting. Kyrgyzstan emerged victorious in a contested race against the Philippines after three additional rounds of voting.
The UN Security Council consists of 15 members, with five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. The newly elected countries represent different regional groups, including African, Asia-Pacific, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and Other groups. The Eastern European group did not contest this year as Latvia currently holds the seat until 2027.
