Global Policy Forum

Panama Named for UN Seat by Venezuela, Guatemala (November 2, 2006)
A compromise candidate has finally emerged to take the vacant seat at the UN Security Council. Venezuela and Guatemala have both agreed to abandon their race for a seat in the top UN body. After 47 rounds of voting for the election of the Latin American non-permanent member, Panama rallied the support of Latin American countries to end the deadlock. The choice of the Central American country surprised many observers as they expected Bolivia or the Dominican Republic to enter the bid for the Security Council seat. (MercoPress)

Latin America Sows and Reaps Divisions in UN Vote (October 24, 2006)
While rumors grow of a third candidate to run for the last vacant UN Security Council seat, this Inter Press Service article points to the mounting political division between Latin American countries. The article claims that regional unity suffers from diverging political interests fueled by "friendship or phobias towards the United States." In contrast, consensus and pragmatism prevail in political interactions within regions such as Europe and Asia.

Four Elected with One Uncertain for UN Security Council Membership (October 17, 2006)
The UN vote for Security Council non-permanent members leaves the Latin American and Caribbean States' seat empty. While, Belgium, Indonesia, Italy and South Africa successfully won seats in the Council for a 2-year term, the General Assembly did not agree on whether Guatemala or Venezuela should join the Council despite ten rounds of elections. The race for the UN seat turned into a lobbying battle between Venezuela and the US, who both hope to gain more influence at the UN body. (Xinhua)

Security Council Elections 2006 (August 14, 2006)
The race to fill the Latin-American and Asian group seats on the UN Security Council has attracted an unusually high level of attention. This report provides background information on the contests between Venezuela and Guatemala and South Korea, Indonesia and Nepal. It explains how the rules of procedure for contested elections work and outlines the established practices that have developed on the election of members to the Council. (Security Council Report)

Bachelet Under Pressure (June 1, 2006)
This Progreso Weekly article claims that the United States is pressuring Chile not to vote for Venezuela in October's elections to the UN Security Council. Latin America is entitled to two representatives on the Council. While Venezuela hopes to fill one of the seats, the United States is attempting to engineer a victory for Guatemala, Washington's preferred candidate. The article claims that US Under Secretary of State Robert Zoellick warned Chilean Foreign Minister Alejandro Foxley that should Chile vote for Venezuela, "the costs in terms of security and commercial trade [for Chile] would be extremely high."