Costa Rica's Grynspan ahead in race to be next UN chief, sources say

‌An informal ​poll by the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday placed former Costa Rican ‌Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the frontrunner in the race to become the 10th UN Secretary-General, two sources close to ‌the process said. The fifth secret poll by the ‌15-member Security Council followed days of intense negotiations among diplomats in New York, after past four ballots have not resulted in the emergence of ⁠one ​candidate with ⁠overwhelming backing.

Although Grynspan is still leading the pack of seven contenders, ⁠the support for her weakened slightly compared to the poll last ​week, suggesting ongoing gridlock, a result that may prompt ⁠other senior figures to join the race. The selection is taking ⁠place ​at a critical time for the 193-member body. Whoever wins will have to tackle multiple crises, including wars ⁠in Ukraine and the Middle East, cutbacks in American contributions, and ⁠the ⁠UN's declining political relevance as Washington has pulled out of many of its agencies.