South Korea among 5 new non-permanent members of UN Security Council, Belarus denied a spot

Following a vote in the General Assembly on Tuesday, Algeria, Slovenia, Guyana, Sierra Leone, and the Republic of Korea have been elected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. The countries will join the premier body for a two-year period starting January 1, 2024.

Eyes On The Seat

Algeria, Guyana, and the three other fellow elected members were among six countries vying for five non-permanent seats around the Council’s horseshoe-shaped table that will get vacant towards the end of 2023.

Belarus, allied with Russia in its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine, was denied a spot. The country which received just 38 votes got beaten by Slovenia with 153 votes. Meanwhile, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Algeria, and South Korea received 191, 188, 184, and 180 votes, respectively.

Securing A Spot

The Security Council is responsible for maintaining international peace and security. It is the only UN body capable of making legally binding decisions such as authorising the use of force and imposing sanctions.

Among its 15 seats, China, Russia, France, the US, and the UK occupy the permanent seats, that grant them the right to veto any decision or resolution.

The other ten non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly, which comprises all 193 UN Member States, and is in line with geographical distribution by region.

Voting is carried out by a secret ballot. Candidates must receive at least 128 votes, or a two-thirds majority, to become a member, even if they run uncontested.

On Tuesday, overall 192 countries chose to cast their votes to fill three seats meant for the Africa and Asia-Pacific groups, and one each for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. While Slovenia beat Belarus, the other four candidates ran unopposed.

Belarus Didn’t Always Have A Competitor

The country had been running unopposed for the 2024/25 Eastern European seat since 2007. But things changed in December 2021 when Slovenia decided to enter the race after a brutal crackdown by Belarusian authorities on demonstrations following a 2020 election.

Russia has since treated the territory of Belarus as a launchpad for its year-long deadly war in Ukraine in February last year.

According to International Crisis Group UN Director Richard Gowan, the recent secret ballot does not support Russia’s claim that a lot of states back Ukraine in public at the UN but sympathise with Moscow in private.

Also Read:- Ukraine Condemns Russia for Allegedly Blowing Up Critical Nova Kakhovka Dam

Ready To Serve

South Korea and the other four newly elected countries will replace Albania, Ghana, Gabon, Brazil, and the UAE when their terms end on December 31. They will join Malta, Switzerland, Ecuador, Japan, and Mozambique as non-permanent Council members.