United Nations Security Council election, 2008
Encyclopedia
| Unsuccessful candidates |
 Iran (AsiaUnited Nations geoscheme for Asia -Central Asia:*Kazakhstan*Kyrgyzstan*Tajikistan*Turkmenistan*Uzbekistan-Eastern Asia:*China - the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China **Hong Kong**Macau*Japan*Mongolia*Korea - North Korea and South Korea-Southern Asia:... )  Iceland (WEOGWestern European and Others Group The Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups... ) |
The 2008 United Nations Security Council election was held on 17 October 2008 during the 63rd session of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
, held at United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The elections were held for five non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council is one of the principal organs of the United Nations and is charged with the maintenance of international peace and security. Its powers, outlined in the United Nations Charter, include the establishment of peacekeeping operations, the establishment of...
for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 2009.
In accordance with the Security Council's rotation rules, the ten non-permanent Security Council seats rotate among the regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes. All five contests were won on the first ballot. The five available seats were allocated as follows:
- One for Africa, held by South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- One for AsiaUnited Nations geoscheme for Asia-Central Asia:*Kazakhstan*Kyrgyzstan*Tajikistan*Turkmenistan*Uzbekistan-Eastern Asia:*China - the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China **Hong Kong**Macau*Japan*Mongolia*Korea - North Korea and South Korea-Southern Asia:...
, held by IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. - One for Latin America and the Caribbean, held by PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. - Two for the Western European and Others GroupWestern European and Others GroupThe Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
, held by BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
The newly elected five member states served on the Security Council for the 2009–10 period.
Elected members
The five elected members after the 2008 elections are:- UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
for Africa, replacing South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. - JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for AsiaUnited Nations geoscheme for Asia-Central Asia:*Kazakhstan*Kyrgyzstan*Tajikistan*Turkmenistan*Uzbekistan-Eastern Asia:*China - the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China **Hong Kong**Macau*Japan*Mongolia*Korea - North Korea and South Korea-Southern Asia:...
, replacing IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. - MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
for Latin America and the Caribbean, replacing PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. - TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
for the Western European and Others GroupWestern European and Others GroupThe Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
, replacing BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. - AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
for the Western European and Others GroupWestern European and Others GroupThe Western European and Others Group is one of several unofficial Regional Groups in the United Nations that act as voting blocs and negotiation forums. Regional voting blocs were formed in 1961 to encourage voting to various UN bodies from regional groups...
, replacing ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Both Mexico and Uganda ran unopposed for their seats within their regional groups, while Japan faced competition in the Asian region from Iran, and Austria and Turkey in the Western European and Others region had opposition from Iceland.
The election of Japan as a member of the Security Council marks the nation's tenth time there, the longest tenure up until then of any nation excluding its permanent members.
Detailed results
Both IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
were contending for spots on the Council. Iceland was considered an unlikely choice for the Western European and Others Group, and its recent financial crisis further hurt its chances.
Iran lost the Asia seat to Japan. Japan is the second-largest financial contributor to the UN and is thought by many to be a candidate for a permanent Security Council seat. Iran, by contrast, has had Security Council sanctions imposed on it for its nuclear program
Nuclear program of Iran
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
.
Voting was by secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
. The official UN results showed:
- 192 ballot papers were distributed in each election.
- For the two African and Asian seats the votes were: Uganda 181; Japan 158; Iran 32; Madagascar (not a candidate) 2; and one country completely abstaining.
- For the one Latin American and Caribbean seat the votes were: Mexico 185; Brazil (not a candidate) 1; and six countries abstaining.
- For the two Western European and Other seats the votes were: Turkey 151; Austria 133; Iceland 87; Australia (not a candidate) 1; no country completely abstained from voting.
- Since the winners each received more than two-thirds of the non-abstaining votes, there were no further rounds of voting.
External links
- United Nations document GA/10768 press release
- UN News Centre