Security Council Elects Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan to International Court of Justice

The Security Council today elected Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud (Jordan) as a member of the International Court of Justice, voting with the General Assembly simultaneously but separately to do so.

Mr. Hmoud’s term will begin today, 27 May 2025, and will last until 5 February 2027.  He was elected to fill the seat left vacant by Nawaf Salam, who resigned from his Court position on 13 January 2025 after being designated as the Prime Minister of Lebanon.  (For background, see Press Release SC/15976.)

Under the statute of the International Court of Justice, a candidate obtaining an absolute majority of votes in both organs is considered elected.  In the Council, eight votes constitute such a majority, with no distinction made between permanent and non-permanent members.  In the Assembly, all 193 Member States are electors, and therefore, the requisite number of votes is 97.  (For General Assembly results, see Press Release GA/12864.)

Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.  Composed of 15 judges, it adjudicates between States and its legal opinions are binding.  The Court also issues non-binding advisory opinions when requested to do so.

Following today’s election, the Court’s composition will be as follows:  Iwasawa Yuji (Japan), President; Julia Sebutinde (Uganda), Vice-President; Peter Tomka (Slovakia); Ronny Abraham (France); Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf (Somalia); Xue Hanqin (China); Dalveer Bhandari (India); Georg Nolte (Germany); Hilary Charlesworth (Australia); Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant (Brazil); Juan Manuel Gómez Robledo (Mexico); Sarah H. Cleveland (United States); Bogdan-Lucian Aurescu (Romania); Dire Tladi (South Africa); and Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud (Jordan).

Unlike most other organs of international organizations, the Court is not composed of representatives of Governments; rather, its members are independent judges.  Once elected, a member of the Court is a delegate neither of the Government of his or her own country, nor of that of any other State.  Additionally, the Court may not include more than one national of the same State and must represent, as a whole, the main forms of civilization and the principal legal systems of the world.