2013 United Nations Security Council election

Rules

The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms. A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.

In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes, the five available seats are allocated as follows:

• Two for the African Group (held by Morocco and Togo)
• One for the Asia-Pacific Group (previously called the Asian Group), for the "Arab swing seat" (held by Pakistan)
• One for the Latin American and Caribbean Group (held by Guatemala)
• One for the Eastern European Group (held by Azerbaijan)

To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.

The five members are expected to serve on the Security Council for the 2014–15 period.

Candidates

African Group

— Withdrew

Asia-Pacific group

An Arab state is due to take a seat on account of the custom of rotation of the unofficial "Arab seat" between the Arab states belonging to the African and Asian groups and the expiry of the term of the previous Arab member, Morocco, whose term expires in 2013.

— Declared candidacy after Saudi Arabia declined its election to the Council

Latin American and Caribbean Group

Eastern European group

— Withdrew on 30 April 2013 for diplomatic and financial reasons

Results

African and Asia-Pacific Groups

Day 1

|NGA:186 |CHA:184 |SAU:176 |SEN:2 |GAM:2 |LBN:1

Rejection

Following the vote, Saudi Arabia, despite winning a seat, declined to take it, citing the UNSC's "double standards" in being allegedly ineffective in regards to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, nuclear disarmament in the Middle East and putting an end to the Syrian civil war.{{cite news |first= Angus |last= McDowall |title= Saudi Arabia, angered over Mideast, declines Security Council seat |work= Retuers |date= 16 October 2013 |url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-securitycouncil-idUSBRE99H06S20131018

Day 2

A second vote was held on 6 December to fill the vacancy created by the rejection of Saudi Arabia to take the seat it was elected to. Prior to the vote, the General Assembly honoured Nelson Mandela, who had died the previous day. There were 185 ballot papers. |JOR:178 |SAU:1

Latin American and Caribbean Group

|CHL:186

Eastern European Group

|LTU:187 |CRO:1

Notes

References

References

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8. [https://undocs.org/A/RES/1991(XVIII) Resolution 1991 A (XVIII)], dated 1963-12-17, in force 31 August 1965. See also the notes accompanying Rules 142 to 144 of the [https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/520/rev.17 Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly] and Item 114(a) (page 175) of [https://undocs.org/A/66/100 UN Document A/66/100, Annotated preliminary list of items to be included in the provisional agenda of the sixty-sixth regular session of the General Assembly].
9. "Special Research Report No. 4: Security Council Elections 2011". United National Security Council Report.
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11. (25 September 2013). "Security Council Elections 2013". Security Council Report.
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17. ALAN COWELL, RICK GLADSTONE and ROBERT F. WORTH. (18 October 2013). "Saudi Arabia Rejects Security Council Seat". The New York Times.
18. "GCC backs Saudi Arabia rejection of UN seat - Middle East". Al Jazeera English.
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20. United Nations, General Assembly, '' Letter dated 12 November 2013 from the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General'', A/68/599 (14 November 2013), available from [https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/68/599 undocs.org/A/68/599]
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