Overview
- The Security Council's eighth indicative vote on Thursday showed Rebeca Grynspan leading with 12 votes in favour and three not supporting her, based on leaked tallies from the session.
- Rafael Grossi retained a steady second place with nine votes in favour, four votes against and two abstentions or 'no opinion', keeping him a viable challenger.
- Smaller tallies went to Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett (eight in favour), Lana Zaki Nusseibeh (seven) and newcomer Feridun Sinirlioglu (three), underlining that only two candidates reached the nine‑vote threshold in this round.
- Because ballots were anonymous, the vote does not reveal whether any of the P5 (United States, China, Russia, France, Britain) would use their veto, which is required to be absent for a recommendation to reach the General Assembly.
- The process remains stuck due to geopolitical disputes over Ukraine, the Middle East and Iran, the informal push for geographic rotation to Latin America and pressure to name the first female secretary-general, all while António Guterres's term ends on December 31 and diplomats prepare possible further rounds.