The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday elected Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea to the UN Security Council for two-year terms beginning on January 2024, <>, while Russia-allied Belarus in its war on Ukraine failed to win a seat.
Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and South Korea were elected without opposition to the 15-member council charged with maintaining international peace and security. In the only competition, Slovenia overtook Belarus (Belarus). The five elected countries will replace Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and the United Arab Emirates.
The Security Council is the only body in the United Nations empowered to adopt legally binding resolutions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. The council includes 5 permanent members and vetoes: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
In order to ensure geographical representation, non-permanent seats are allocated to regional groups. Even if candidates are elected without opposition in their group, they must obtain the support of more than two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly.
Guyana received 191 votes, Sierra Leone 188, Algeria 184 and South Korea 180.
Slovenia received 153 votes, beating Belarus with 38 votes.
Belarus has been an unopposed candidate since 2007 for the 2024-2025 Eastern European seat. Slovenia entered the race in December 2021 after a "brutal crackdown" by Belarusian authorities on protests following the 2020 presidential election.
Moscow used Belarusian territory as a springboard in its war on Ukraine in February 2022.