Sixty-seventh General Assembly

Plenary

27^th Meeting (AM)

General Assembly Elects Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Republic of Korea,

 

Rwanda as Non-Permanent Members of Security Council

 

In two rounds of voting, the General Assembly today elected Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Republic of Korea and Rwanda to serve as non-permanent members of the Security Council for the next two years.

Those elected will fill seats to be vacated on 31 December by Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa.  Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo will continue to serve as elected Council members during 2013, completing the second year of their respective terms.  All new Council members will take their seats on 1 January 2013.

The five non-permanent members were to be elected according to the following pattern:  two from African and Asia-Pacific States — with the understanding that one will come from Africa and one from Asia-Pacific — one from Latin America and the Caribbean and two from Western European and other States.  The three new members from Argentina, Australia and Rwanda were elected in the first round of voting.

With one vacancy remaining among the African and Asia-Pacific States and one from among the Western European and other States at the end of the first round of voting, the Assembly moved to a second round, in which, respectively, the Republic of Korea and Luxembourg were elected.

The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, having requested to speak on a point of order before the initial vote, said that as the Council was responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security, its members should be peace-loving and loving of justice.  Rwanda “was an oasis for criminals” operating in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and on those grounds, she objected to Rwanda as a non-permanent member.

The General Assembly will next convene at 3 p.m. on Monday, 22 October, to take up the report of the Economic and Social Council and other matters in the economic, social and related fields.

First Round Voting Results

African and Asia-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	1
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Rwanda	148
Republic of Korea	116
Cambodia	62
Bhutan	20
United Republic of Tanzania	3
Democratic Republic of the Congo	1

Latin American and Caribbean States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	1
Number of valid ballots:	192
Abstentions:	8
Number of Members present and voting:	184
Required majority:	123
Number of votes obtained by country:
Argentina	182
Barbados	1
Cuba	1

Western European and Other States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	193
Required majority:	129
Number of votes obtained by country:
Australia	140
Luxembourg	128
Finland	108

Second Round Voting Results (First Restricted)

African and Asia-Pacific States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	1
Number of valid ballots:	192
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	192
Required majority:	128
Number of votes obtained by country:
Republic of Korea	149
Cambodia	43

Western European and Other States
Number of ballot papers:	193
Number of invalid ballots:	0
Number of valid ballots:	193
Abstentions:	0
Number of Members present and voting:	193
Required majority:	129
Number of votes obtained by country:
Luxembourg	131
Finland	62

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For information media • not an official record