Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe elected as non-permanent members of UNSC

Why in News?

Five countries — Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe — have been elected as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term.

• Their tenure will begin on 1 January 2027 and continue until 31 December 2028.
• They will replace the outgoing non-permanent members: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia.

About the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)

• The UNSC is the principal organ of the United Nations responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
• It consists of 15 members:
  • 5 Permanent Members (P5): United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Each permanent member possesses the veto power, enabling it to block substantive resolutions regardless of the level of support.
  • 10 Non-Permanent Members

Non-Permanent Members Election Process

• Non-permanent members are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for a term of two years.
• Five of the ten non-permanent seats are filled every year.

• A candidate must secure a two-thirds majority of the member states present and voting.
• If all 193 UN member states participate, a minimum of 129 votes is required for election.
• Countries abstaining are not counted as voting.

• If no candidate obtains the required two-thirds majority in the first round, subsequent rounds are conducted.
• In a restricted ballot, only candidates receiving the highest votes in the previous round can contest.
• The number of candidates is limited to twice the number of available seats.

Regional Distribution of Non-Permanent Seats

To ensure geographical representation, the 10 non-permanent seats are allocated among regional groups as follows:

Regional Group	Seats
African Group	3
Asia-Pacific Group	2
Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)	2
Western European and Others Group (WEOG)	2
Eastern European Group	1