Portugal and Austria defeat Germany for UN Security Council seats
The UN General Assembly elected Portugal, Austria, Mauritius, Costa Rica and Bahrain to five non-permanent Security Council seats; in the European category, Germany was eliminated in the third round behind Portugal and Austria. Berlin's defeat after 14 years prompted debate in foreign-policy circles.
ABC News AustraliaIn the New York General Assembly vote, Portugal secured election in the first round with 144 votes, and Austria followed with 132 in the third round. Germany was eliminated in the third round with 86 votes, missing a Council term again. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock posted on X: 'We accept the outcome and will keep working to strengthen multilateralism.' Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger called it 'a historic moment for small neutral countries'.
University of Sydney international-relations professor James Curran told ABC News Australia that the outcome 'makes visible the friction in joint EU diplomatic coordination'. In Brussels, both Macron and Sánchez had backed Berlin, but during UN lobbying many African and Asian delegations preferred Lisbon and Vienna. Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel said in his victory remarks that the elected pair would 'build bridges on agendas such as climate and digital security'.
The new members take up their two-year terms on 1 January 2027. The Council's five permanent members and other five non-permanent members remain unchanged. This is not investment advice.
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