Germany loses vote for UN Security Council seat for the first time

Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe and Kyrgyzstan won the election after four rounds of voting. These five countries will serve as non-permanent members of the UNSC for the 2027-2028 term.

Germany lost the vote for a seat on the UN Security Council on Wednesday, the first time it has lost since joining in 1973.

The country lost the highly contested seats on the UN Security Council to Austria and Portugal after failing to secure a two-thirds majority vote from the General Assembly; a loss that Germany’s Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, described as a “bitter defeat.”

He attributed the loss to the growing anti-German sentiment stirred by Russia’s campaign. Mr Wadephul claimed Russia is against the country securing a seat on the Security Council due to its staunch support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The UN conducted its annual election for non-permanent members of the Security Council on Wednesday. The process determines which countries will join the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—in shaping decisions on international peace and security.

The assembly elects five countries by secret ballot every year to serve a two-year term on the 10 rotating seats on the 15-member Security Council, which are earmarked for different regions of the world. Candidates must win a two-thirds majority of votes for seats distributed according to regional groups: Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe

Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe and Kyrgyzstan won the election after four rounds of voting. These five countries will serve as non-permanent members of the UNSC for the 2027-2028 term.

Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago were each elected to the UNSC unopposed, securing seats allocated to their respective regions.

Kyrgyzstan also won a seat after defeating the Philippines in the vote for the Central Asia and Asia-Pacific region.

However, Germany, one of the top contributors to the UN, lost out in the election after receiving 104 votes, below Portugal’s 134 and Austria’s 131. This is the first time Germany has failed to secure a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Mr Wadephul, before the election, had said Germany had a good offer and was ready to take responsibility on the important committee responsible for peacekeeping and international security. According to the minister, Russia’s campaign to keep pro-Ukrainian voices out of the council was the primary factor responsible for its loss.

“There is our firm support for Ukraine, the fact that Russia does not want such a voice at the Security Council,” Mr Wadephul said, according to the BBC.

He stated that Russia’s effort to spread sentiment against Germany was no secret.

“We have always taken a clear stance on certain issues, and these are positions that not all member states share,” he said.

He also noted that Germany’s special responsibility for Israel “in the Middle East conflict may also have cost votes.”

He said, “Germany will continue to live up to its historical responsibility even if, at the time, we criticised specific policies of the government.”

However, Russia is yet to respond to accusations that it lobbied against Germany’s membership in the council.