Informal poll shows Costa Rica's Grynspan ahead in race to be next UN chief

A first informal U.N. Security Council poll showed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the early frontrunner to become the next UN secretary-general.

Grynspan received 10 'encourage' votes, followed by former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with nine and Argentina's Rafael Grossi with seven.

The candidates are seeking to replace Antonio Guterres of Portugal when he steps down at the end of 2026 after two five-year terms.

The next secretary-general faces the task of revitalizing an organization in crisis and declining stature amid pressure to reform what critics say is a bloated, costly bureaucracy.

Other candidates include former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu.