According to a report in The Wall Street Journal on October 25, sources from three countries confirmed that the Trump administration is pushing former Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán to run for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations. The US has encouraged Orbán to run, and even proposed this initial idea to him. The plan is still pending final approval.
A U.S. State Department official admitted that this idea sounds absurd at first hearing, but based on previous conversations with Washington, China and Russia are expected to support it. The plan is to have Öhrling as a co-candidate for the election.
American officials and officials from another country pointed out that when China, the United States, and Russia all want to do the same thing at the United Nations Security Council, they usually get what they want.
The aforementioned U.S. State Department official said that Orbán could easily obtain 8 votes from the Security Council, and it is also likely that he could get 10 votes among the 15 member states of the Security Council.
It is reported that the candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations must receive at least 9 votes from 15 member states, and no permanent member states must express opposition. After that, the Secretary-General is elected by a majority vote of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and appointed accordingly.
U.S. officials say that Oulban is "the ideal candidate in the MAGA conservative party's mind."
In April of this year, during the Hungarian elections, U.S. President Trump backed Orban, and Vice President Biden also campaigned for him. Sources said that if Orban runs for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations, they are expected to support him again, but the decision will be announced after the U.S. midterm elections.
American officials first contacted Öhrling to see if he was interested in this. They found that he was willing to accept the proposal, but had doubts. He would not run unless he believed he could win the election.
The current tenure of UN Secretary-General Guterres will end on December 31. UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh announced her candidacy last week. According to a report by the American “Politico News Network” on October 9, two people familiar with U.S. government discussions revealed that the Trump administration is dissatisfied with all seven candidates currently competing for the position of UN Secretary-General. They believe that none of these candidates fully agrees with President Trump’s worldview, and they are also unable to meet Trump’s demands for drastic reforms in the United Nations.
At the regular press conference on September 28, a journalist asked whether the permanent missions of several countries to the United Nations had revealed to the media that China is considering supporting the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, former Vice-President of Costa Rica Glenn Spapen, or Rodrigues-Bakit, the Permanent Representative of Guyana to the United Nations, in the vote for the new Secretary-General. Can the Chinese side confirm this? Which candidate are they considering supporting in the vote?
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun stated that the election of the United Nations Secretary-General is related to the reform and development of the United Nations and the vital interests of its member states. China supports the selection of a new Secretary-General who adheres to the Charter, is capable, fair-minded, and responsible in performing his duties. China will work with all relevant parties to participate in the process of electing a new Secretary-General in a responsible manner.
