Geneva. The United Nations is running out of time. After six rounds of voting, the UN Security Council in New York has still not decided on a new Secretary General - there is no end in sight to the struggle for the top position at the world organization. This Friday evening, the 15 members of the UN Council will once again express their preferences for or against each of the seven candidates.
The procedure is overshadowed by one name: Viktor Orban. The controversial right-wing nationalist ex-Prime Minister of Hungary could run for the coveted UN position later in the race. As a joint candidate from the heavyweights USA, Russia and China.
A diplomat emphasizes that if Orban applies, the pressure on the two European veto powers France and Great Britain will increase: “Ultimately, France or Great Britain could stop him with a veto.” But with a no vote, the French and British would incur the wrath of the Trump administration.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported for the first time about the Orban project, which was set up by the administration of US President Donald Trump. The WSJ writes: “The US has encouraged the former Hungarian prime minister to run for election.” A US State Department official admitted that at first glance it sounds “crazy”. Then it says: “The plan still needs to be finally approved.”
Orban, anti-EU and authoritarian, maintained close relations as head of government with Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to diplomats, Secretary General Orban could try to hijack the UN and transform it into a tool for the major powers.
If there is an official candidacy, Great Britain and France will be under enormous pressure from two sides: the USA would want to get their candidate through, while many other nations, including from Europe, would definitely want to prevent this.
The program director of the International Crisis Group, Richard Gowan, classifies the Orban initiative as a tactical maneuver by the US government: The whole thing is “not very serious”.
One thing is certain: António Guterres, the tired-looking current Secretary General, will step down from office on December 31st. In view of the crumbling world order and the many wars, the United Nations can hardly afford a stagnation at its top.
One candidate to succeed Guterres, the Ecuadorian-Lebanese dual national Ivonne A-Baki, puts it succinctly: “What the United Nations needs now is not another administrator, but a peacemaker.”
In the sixth test vote in the UN Security Council, A-Baki ended up far behind in last place. The other candidates also failed the test vote. Even the top vote-getter, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, the second-place finisher, Rafael Grossi of Argentina, and the third-place finisher, Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett of Guyana, either missed the required nine votes or received at least two vetoes from the permanent council members.
However, since there is rivalry and mistrust between the veto powers, the initiation of possible deals is likely to take a long time. Diplomats also point to the midterm elections in the USA, which President Trump and his foreign policy team wanted to wait for. Daniel Safran-Hon from the International Peace Institute think tank even expects the election campaign to start all over again. “This could extend into December or beyond,” he writes.
According to the unwritten rules of the UN, the world regions should take turns filling the top position, so the tenth Secretary General would have to come from Latin America. In addition, a number of member states are insisting that a woman finally gets a chance.
A few days ago a new applicant, Lana Nusseibeh, came forward. However, for Nusseibeh, Minister of State on leave in the Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the bloody war in Sudan is a problem. According to a UN investigation, the UAE supports the Sudanese militia “Rapid Support Forces” (RSF), which also carried out the mass murder of civilians in Al-Fasher in 2025. According to a UN report, the bloodbath has the “hallmarks of genocide.” Human rights activist Kenneth Roth says: “We cannot afford for the UN to be led by someone who is a genocide denier.”
According to the UN Charter, the Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. The Secretary General is the organization's highest administrative official and is considered its chief diplomat. To date, all nine general secretaries have been men.
