A360
Key Takeaways✦ Atlas AI
01
Espinosa nominated for UN top post.
02
Fifth candidate, third woman in race.
03
New term begins January 1, 2027.
Atlas AI
Antigua and Barbuda has nominated Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa as a candidate to become the next United Nations secretary-general, a U.N. official said Tuesday, May 12, in Geneva. The nomination adds Espinosa, a former foreign affairs and defense minister of Ecuador, to the field of contenders seeking to succeed U.N. chief Antonio Guterres. Elections are due later this year. The winner will take office on Jan. 1, 2027, for a five-year term.
Espinosa previously served as president of the U.N. General Assembly from 2018 to 2019. With her entry, five candidates are now competing for the post.
Three of the five candidates are women, seeking to become the first woman to lead the United Nations.
How the UN selects its secretary-general
The appointment process begins with the 15-member U.N. Security Council, which considers candidates and recommends a choice. The General Assembly then votes to approve the council’s recommendation.
Guterres is the current U.N. secretary-general and is due to be succeeded when the next term begins in 2027.
Timeline for the 2026 selection race
Officials said the election is expected later this year, ahead of the start of the next five-year term. The expanded field of candidates increases attention on how the Security Council will weigh nominees before sending a name to the General Assembly.
The next milestone will be further announcements from member states as the campaign period continues and the Security Council begins its deliberations.
