The United Nations General Assembly elected Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland to membership in the Security Council on Thursday for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2023.
The five countries ran without competition for a place in the 15-member council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. These countries will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.
To ensure geographical representation, seats are allocated to regional groups. But even if states run without competition in their respective groups, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the members of the General Assembly.
Ecuador got 190 votes, Japan 184, Malta 185, Mozambique 192 and Switzerland 187.
The Security Council is the only body in the United Nations that can take legally binding decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. The Security Council has five permanent members with veto power: the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.
