ASSEMBLY ELECTS COSTA RICA, JAPAN, KENYA, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN TO TW0-YEAR TERMS ON SECURITY COUNCIL
Press Release
GA/9138
ASSEMBLY ELECTS COSTA RICA, JAPAN, KENYA, PORTUGAL, SWEDEN TO TW0-YEAR TERMS ON SECURITY COUNCIL
19961021 The General Assembly this morning elected Costa Rica, Japan, Kenya, Portugal and Sweden to two-year terms on the Security Council, filling non- permanent seats to be vacated on 31 December by Botswana, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia and Italy.Those elections were determined during two rounds of balloting, with Japan, Kenya and Sweden obtaining the required two-thirds majority during the first round. The elections of Costa Rica and Portugal were determined during the second round of voting, which followed Bolivia's withdrawal of its candidature.
The newly elected non-permanent members will assume their Council seats on 1 January 1997. The five non-permanent Security Council members which will serve for another year, until 31 December 1997, are Chile, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Poland and the Republic of Korea.
The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 24 October, to review cooperation between the United Nations and the Organization of American States (OAS) and consider the work of the Universal Congress on the Panama Canal.
Assembly Work Programme
The General Assembly met this morning to elect five non-permanent Security Council members to fill seats to be vacated on 31 December by Botswana, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia and Italy. Those five States were not eligible for immediate re-election.
The new non-permanent members will serve two-year terms beginning on 1 January 1997, and will be elected as follows: two from African and Asian States; one from Latin American and Caribbean States; and two from Western European and Other States. Candidates must receive a two-thirds majority of the Member States present and voting to be elected.
The five non-permanent members which will serve for another year are Chile, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Poland and the Republic of Korea.
Statement by Assembly President
RAZALI ISMAIL (Malaysia) said that in accordance with established practice, there was an understanding to the effect that, of the two States to be elected from African and Asian States, one should be from Africa and one from Asia.
He said he had been informed that the three candidates for the two vacancies from among the African and Asian States were India, Japan and Kenya, with Kenya having been endorsed by the Group of African States. The two candidates to fill the one vacancy for the Latin American and Caribbean States were Bolivia and Costa Rica. There were three candidates to fill the two vacancies for the Western European and other States, namely Australia, Portugal and Sweden.
The results of the first round of balloting to elect five non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 1997 were as follows:
African and Asian States
Number of ballot papers: 181 Number of invalid ballots: 1 Number of valid ballots: 180 Abstentions: 0 Number of Members voting: 180 Required majority: 120
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Number of Votes Obtained:
Kenya: 172 Japan: 142 India: 40
Latin American and Caribbean States
Number of ballot papers: 181 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 181 Abstentions: 1 Number of Members voting: 180 Required majority: 120
Number of Votes Obtained:
Costa Rica: 105 Bolivia: 73 Colombia: 1 Dominican Republic: 1
Western European and Other States
Number of ballot papers: 181 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 181 Abstentions: 0 Number of Members voting: 181 Required majority: 121
Number of Votes Obtained:
Sweden: 153 Portugal: 112 Australia: 91
Having obtained the two-thirds majority required, Japan, Kenya and Sweden were elected as members of the Security Council for two-year terms beginning on 1 January 1997.
EDGAR CAMACHO-OMISTE (Bolivia) said that his country had signed an agreement with Costa Rica by which the two countries agreed that support would be given to the delegation obtaining the larger number of votes in the first round of balloting. With Costa Rica having obtained the majority of votes, Bolivia withdrew its candidature and gave its support to Costa Rica to fill
General Assembly - 4 - Press Release GA/9138 39th Meeting (AM) 21 October 1996
the one non-permanent Council seat for the Latin American and Caribbean States.
The PRESIDENT announced that the Assembly would proceed with two restricted ballots to fill the remaining seat for the Western European and Other States from the remaining candidates (Australia and Portugal) and the seat for the Latin American and Caribbean (Bolivia and Costa Rica), bearing in mind the statement just made by the representative of Bolivia.
The results of the second round of balloting were as follows:
Western European and Other States
Number of ballot papers: 181 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 181 Abstentions: 0 Number of Members voting: 181 Required majority: 121
Number of Votes Obtained:
Portugal: 124 Australia: 57
Latin American and Caribbean States
Number of ballot papers: 181 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 181 Abstentions: 9 Number of Members voting: 172 Required majority: 115
Number of Votes Obtained:
Costa Rica: 167 Bolivia: 5
Having obtained the two-thirds majority required, Costa Rica and Portugal were elected to fill the two remaining non-permanent Security Council seats.
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