Türkiye has formally nominated veteran diplomat Feridun Sinirlioğlu for the position of United Nations secretary-general, becoming the latest country to enter an increasingly competitive race to succeed António Guterres. The nomination was announced on October 30, following the seventh informal Security Council straw poll, which again failed to produce a consensus candidate. Sinirlioğlu, 70, currently serves as secretary-general of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). He previously served as Türkiye's foreign minister and permanent representative to the United Nations. ALSO READ: UAE diplomat enters race to be next UN secretary-general Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Ahmet Yıldız, submitted a letter from President Tayyip Erdoğan to the presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council, formally presenting Sinirlioğlu's candidacy. In his nomination letter, Erdoğan highlighted the diplomat's more than 40 years of experience in international relations, his knowledge of the UN system and his ability to build consensus among countries with competing interests. Taking together the strategic vision, I have personally witnessed his deep knowledge of the UN system and his unwavering commitment to the principles of the UN Charter. I believe Ambassador Sinirlioğlu possesses the experience and culture of consensus required to lead the United Nations Organization, Erdoğan said in the letter, according to Türkiye's Anadolu Agency. ALSO READ: Guterres: UN Security Council remains 'unjust' without permanent African seat Sinirlioğlu joined Türkiye's Foreign Ministry in 1982 and held several diplomatic positions, including ambassador to Israel from 2002 to 2007. He served briefly as foreign minister in 2015 before becoming Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN, a position he held until 2023. In December 2024, he became secretary-general of the OSCE, a 57-member organisation that works on security, conflict prevention, human rights and cooperation between states. Grynspan maintains lead in seventh poll The Turkish announcement came after the Security Council conducted its seventh informal straw poll on October 30, with Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan again receiving the highest number of encouraging votes. ALSO READ: Macky Sall withdraws from race for UN Secretary General According to results reported, Grynspan received 11 votes encouraging her candidacy, four discouraging votes and no votes expressing no opinion. Argentina's Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, followed with nine encouraging votes, four discouraging votes and two expressing no opinion. Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett received eight encouraging votes, six discouraging votes and one no-opinion vote, while the United Arab Emirates' Lana Nusseibeh recorded seven encouraging votes, six discouraging votes and two no-opinion votes. Among the other candidates, Uganda's Olara Otunnu received four encouraging votes and 11 discouraging votes. Ecuador's former foreign minister María Fernanda Espinosa received two encouraging votes, while Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki received one encouraging vote and 14 discouraging votes. The seventh poll was conducted using ballots that did not distinguish between votes cast by the five permanent Security Council members and those of the 10 elected members. Consequently, it was not possible to establish whether any of the discouraging votes against the leading candidates came from countries holding veto power. A candidate must secure at least nine votes in the 15-member Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members: the United States, China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom. Sinirlioğlu becomes the eighth active candidate in the race, joining Grynspan, Grossi, Rodrigues-Birkett, Nusseibeh, Otunnu, Espinosa and A-Baki. The next secretary-general is expected to take office on January 1, 2027, to lead the organisation for the next five years, when Guterres' second five-year term ends.
