Kenya was elected Thursday to the UN Security Council for 2021-2022, defeating Djibouti after first-round voting by the General Assembly failed to choose between the two candidates.
Kenya obtained 129 votes, against 113 in the first round on Tuesday, and Djibouti 62, against 78 in the first round, in the race to take the Africa seat.
Of the 193 members of the United Nations, 191 registered a valid ballot. A two-thirds majority, or 128 votes, was required to win.
Kenya will replace South Africa in January. In recent years Africa has chosen a single candidate for the seat but continental ties have been strained.
Kenya had the support of the African Union, though Djibouti had claimed it had priority under the principle of rotation as Kenya had sat on the Council more times.
On Wednesday, the General Assembly elected four new members of the Security Council for 2021 and 2022 — India, Mexico, Norway and Ireland.
The Security Council has 10 non-permanent members in addition to the veto-wielding Big Five — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
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AFP