Algeria, Guyana, Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia Join UNSC

On Tuesday, Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia were elected non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. They will take up their new responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2024, and serve till Dec. 31, 2025.

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Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, and Sierra Leone were running unopposed on Tuesday. Slovenia and Belarus contended the one seat for Eastern Europe.

The five newly elected members will replace the outgoing non-permanent members of Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirates.

A candidate must obtain the support of two-thirds of the UN member states present and voting at the General Assembly session in order to secure a non-permanent seat on the UNSC, regardless of whether the candidacy is contested or not.

This means that a minimum of 129 positive votes are required to win a seat if all 193 member states are present and voting. Member states that abstain are considered not voting.

In Tuesday's voting, Guyana won the support of all member states that were present and voting, with 191 votes. Sierra Leone won 188 votes, Algeria won 184 votes, Korea won 180 votes, and Slovenia won 153 votes.

All the five newly elected members have previously served on the Security Council. Algeria has served three times. Guyana and the Republic of Korea have each served twice. Sierra Leone and Slovenia have each served once.

The UNSC has 15 members, five of which are permanent ones: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States. The 10 non-permanent seats of the council are allocated by geographic region, with five replaced each year.

The five newly elected countries represent Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Eastern European group. The group of Western Europe and other states is not contesting any seats this year, as its two seats, currently held by Malta and Switzerland through 2024, come up for election every other year.

The UNSC is considered the most powerful body of the United Nations. The council, which is tasked to maintain international peace and security, can make legally binding decisions and has the power to impose sanctions and authorize the use of force against states.