US, Russia accuse UN's Baerbock of overreach in secretary general vote

Russia and the United States have accused UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock of overstepping her authority in the selection of the next UN secretary general and interfering in the Security Council's responsibilities.

Russia was "concerned with the role the PGA [president of the general Assembly] was trying to impose upon herself," Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said in New York on Thursday. He echoed criticism from the US a day earlier, when US Ambassador Jennifer Locetta accused Baerbock of "overreach" and said her conduct exposed "hypocrisy."

The dispute centres on Baerbock's role in the process to select a successor to UN Secretary General António Guterres, who leaves office at the end of the year. Eight candidates are currently vying for the post.

The key recommendation for the post lies with the UN Security Council, which agrees on a candidate in closed-door voting. The candidate is then appointed by the 193-member General Assembly.

Baerbock has said she wants a "transparent, inclusive, structured, timely and credible" selection process. In line with recent practice, she has organized public dialogues with candidates and written to the Security Council about the process.

At a July 23 town hall, she also organized an audience survey of the candidates. Locetta called the poll "unfair, untransparent and unprecedented," saying most participants had no official role in selecting the secretary general.

Baerbock also asked the Security Council not to consider candidates who had not participated in a General Assembly dialogue. Locetta, however, said the council could consider candidates who had not taken part in such a dialogue.

Locetta said Baerbock, a former German foreign minister, saw herself as a "diplomatic superstar" and had indirectly questioned the Security Council's working methods. "The President's actions expose a hypocrisy and reflect poorly on the General Assembly's work writ large," she said.