Turkey's bid for the United Nations Secretary-General position collapsed in Thursday's informal Security Council ballot,...

Turkey's bid for the United Nations Secretary-General position collapsed in Thursday's informal Security Council ballot, with Turkish candidate Feridun Sinirlioglu receiving just 3 yes votes, 8 votes against, and 4 abstentions. It was the 8th informal ballot in the process to succeed Antonio Guterres, and the result was widely seen as a near-total rejection of Ankara's ambitions. Sinirlioglu is a close associate of President Erdogan, and Turkey had invested considerable political capital in the candidacy. By comparison, Costa Rican economist Rebeca Grynspan led the field with 12 yes votes and just 3 against, with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi pulling 9 yes votes. Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis made Greece's position crystal clear in a television interview on Wednesday, a day before the vote. He said the Secretary-General must be a person of standing who comes from a country that respects international law, and that given Turkey's consistent refusal to comply with UN resolutions on Cyprus, no Greek government could support such a candidacy. Greek sources had already flagged multiple structural problems with the Turkish bid before the ballot. Turkey entered the race late, the geographical rotation for the next Secretary-General favors Latin America, and Security Council members are widely inclined to appoint a woman this cycle. Turkey's record on international law added a further obstacle that Ankara could not overcome. To secure the position, a candidate needs at least 9 yes votes and no veto from any of the five permanent members. Because ballot papers are identical, it is not possible to determine whether any permanent member cast a no vote against Sinirlioglu. He is still scheduled to present to the General Assembly on November 6 and hold an informal dialogue with the Council on November 9. #UnitedNations #Turkey #Cyprus