The U.N. General Assembly elected Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s former foreign minister, as the next head of the 193-member world body in a secret-ballot vote demanded by Russia. Baerbock received 167 votes, almost double the 88 votes needed to win. High-ranking German diplomat Helga Schmid received 7 votes as a write-in candidate, and 14 countries abstained. Germany had initially nominated Schmid for the assembly presidency but later replaced her with Baerbock after she lost her job as the country’s foreign affairs chief in a recent election.
During her candidacy discussion on May 15, Baerbock faced criticism from Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Dmitry Polyansky, who accused her of incompetence, extreme bias, and a lack of understanding of diplomacy. However, Baerbock brushed off Russia’s request for a secret ballot and expressed gratitude for the overwhelming majority of member states that voted in favor of her candidacy.
Baerbock will succeed current assembly president Philemon Yang, a former prime minister of Cameroon, at the start of the 80th session in September. She will preside over the annual gathering of world leaders in late September and the anniversary events marking the founding of the United Nations in 1945.
The one-year presidency of the General Assembly rotates by region, and Baerbock emphasized in her acceptance speech that her theme will be “Better Together.” She highlighted the challenges the world faces, including conflicts, climate catastrophe, poverty, inequality, divisions, and mistrust. Baerbock called for unity, common solutions, and action to confront these challenges, emphasizing the U.N.’s mission to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
