Five New Countries Elected to the UN Security Council’s 2027-28 Term

In a nearly full turnout in the Assembly Hall, 191 of the 193 UN member states voted in the election.

Germany did not hide its disappointment at losing the three-way race to Austria and Portugal. Johann Wadephul, the foreign minister, told reporters after the vote: “Obviously, the result is a real disappointment. It’s a bitter defeat.”

He added that Germany, which he said entered the race late — having announced its candidacy in 2019 — put the country “at a disadvantage from the start” and that “it was not possible” to make up for lost time, yet it “fought up to the very last minute, we gave everything we have.” (Austria, which has served three times in the Council, said it announced its recent candidacy 15 years ago; Germany has served six terms in the Council; Portugal, three.)

Wadephul also conceded that Germany’s “rocket-solid support for Ukraine” may have cost it a seat, suggesting that Russia campaigned against Germany because it “does not want such a voice at the table in the Security Council.” Germany’s “special responsibility” to stand up for Israel may have also factored in the defeat, given Germany’s initial stance on the war in Gaza and other Mideast conflicts.

A few African diplomats told PassBlue that Germany’s voting record on Palestine in the General Assembly may have come back to haunt the country in the June 3 vote. In 2024, for example, Germany abstained in an Assembly vote approving full UN membership to Palestine.

“Having obtained the required two-thirds majority and the largest number of votes, Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe are elected members of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2027,” Annalena Baerbock, president of the General Assembly, declared before the runoffs between Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines began.

In the first round, Kyrgyzstan drew 105 votes, while the Philippines won 85, both falling short of the 127 two-thirds majority tally by members present and voting. Kyrgyzstan eventually emerged with 142 votes, after keenly contesting three rounds of restricted ballots to clinch the only seat for the vast region.

According to Security Council Procedure, an independent research entity, Kyrgyzstan’s seat in the Council will leave 59 other states that have yet to serve in the body.

Separately, on June 2, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman narrowly defeated Andreas Kakouris of Cyprus, by 99 votes to 91, to be elected president of the General Assembly’s 81st session, starting on Sept. 8.

Coming and going

The five newly elected countries will succeed Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia, whose terms end on Dec. 31. The new members will join Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia, whose mandates continue into 2027. The permanent members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.