UN General Assembly Elects New Security Council Members for 2026–2027
The United Nations General Assembly has officially elected five countries—Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Latvia, and Liberia—to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Their two-year terms will commence on January 1, 2026.
Election Details and Voting Outcome
All five nations ran unopposed and successfully secured the required supermajority, receiving more than two-thirds of votes from the 193-member General Assembly. The vote tallies were as follows:
- Bahrain: 186 votes
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 183 votes
- Liberia: 181 votes
- Colombia: 180 votes
- Latvia: 178 votes
These countries will replace the outgoing non-permanent members Algeria, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Guyana, and Slovenia.
Maintaining Regional Representation
The UN Security Council consists of 15 members, including five permanent members with veto power—the United States, Russia, China, France, and the United Kingdom—and ten non-permanent members elected for staggered two-year terms. Seats allocated to non-permanent members are distributed based on regional groups to ensure geographic diversity.
While candidates often run unopposed within their regional groups, they must still secure at least a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly votes to be confirmed.
Additional UN Developments
In a related decision, the General Assembly recently appointed the former German foreign minister as its president for the 80th session, starting in September 2025. This session will guide the UN’s agenda alongside the newly elected Security Council members.
