The UN General Assembly elected five non-permanent members Wednesday to the Security Council (UNSC) for the 2027- 2028 term.
Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe and Kyrgyzstan won the election at the General Assembly.
Portugal received 134 votes, Austria 131, Trinidad and Tobago 181, Zimbabwe 182, and Kyrgyzstan 142, replacing Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.
Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines competed for the Asia-Pacific Group's single seat, with voting going to three rounds after neither secured the required two-thirds majority in the first two rounds.
In the third round, Kyrgyzstan was elected with 142 votes, while the Philippines received 49.
Having obtained the required two-thirds majority and the largest number of votes, Kyrgyzstan was elected as a member of the Council for a two-year term beginning Jan. 1.
Austria and Portugal have each previously served three terms on the Council, while Zimbabwe has held two terms and Trinidad and Tobago one.
Kyrgyzstan will serve as a non-permanent member for the first time.
The new members will serve as non-permanent UNSC members from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2028.
The Security Council has five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US -- and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms. Five non-permanent members are elected every year.
Elections are conducted according to geographical distribution, with two seats allocated to the African Group, one to the Asia-Pacific Group, one to the Latin American and Caribbean Group, and one to the Eastern European Group.
Security Council seats are allocated on a regional basis each term, and candidates must receive at least a two-thirds majority of UN member states, equivalent to 128 votes in a round, to be elected.
