Portuguese govt nominates Guterres for second term as UN chief

The Portuguese government has officially nominated the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for the second term in office.

The UN spokesman, Mr. Stephane Dujarric, disclosed this at his daily news briefing in New York on Wednesday.

He said the Secretary-General’s nomination came in a letter addressed to the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council.

Guterres, 71, who is a former Portuguese Prime Minister, was elected the UN ninth Secretary-General on October 13, 2016.

Dujarric had on January 11 confirmed that the UN chief, whose current term expires on December 31, would seek a second term beginning in January 2022.

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Article 97 of the UN Charter empowers the General Assembly to appoint the Secretary-General on the recommendation of the Security Council.

This means that any of the five permanent members of the Security Council, who will make their choice known in coming months, can veto Guterres’ nomination.

The selection process for the next Secretary-General officially began on February 6 with a joint letter by the General Assembly and Security Council presidents asking member states to nominate candidates.

However, only Guterres has so far been nominated for the post.

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