1979 United Nations Security Council election
Election to the United Nations Security Council
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The 1979 United Nations Security Council election was held from 26 October 1979 to 7 January 1980 during the Thirty-fourth session of the United Nations General Assembly, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City. The General Assembly elected East Germany, Mexico, Niger, the Philippines, and Tunisia, as the five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing January 1980. Taking 155 rounds of voting to resolve, it remains the longest Security Council election in history. Additionally, this was the first time Niger was elected and the only time East Germany was elected member of the Council.
Rules
The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms.[1][2] A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.[3]
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes,[4] the five available seats are allocated as follows:
- Two for African countries, one of which being the "Arab Swing Seat" (held by Gabon and Nigeria)
- One for the Asian Group (now the Asia-Pacific Group[5]) (held by Kuwait)
- One for Latin America and the Caribbean (held by Bolivia)
- One for the Eastern European Group (held by Czechoslovakia)
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.
Results
Day 1
| Member | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Round 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tunisia | 143 | – | – | – | – |
 Niger | 140 | – | – | – | – |
 East Germany | 133 | – | – | – | – |
 Philippines | 131 | – | – | – | – |
 Cuba | 77 | 79 | 78 | 79 | 80 |
 Colombia | 68 | 66 | 66 | 65 | 61 |
 Peru | – | – | – | – | 2 |
 Yugoslavia | 2 | – | – | – | – |
 Brazil | – | – | – | – | 1 |
 Bulgaria | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 South Yemen | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Jordan | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Libya | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Romania | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Zaire | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| abstentions | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| invalid ballots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| required majority | 99 | 97 | 96 | 96 | 96 |
| ballot papers | 148 | 148 | 147 | 148 | 147 |
| Source:[6] | |||||
Day 2
Day 3
| Member | Round 20 | Round 21 | Round 22 | Round 23 | Round 24 | Round 25 | Round 26 | Round 27 | Round 28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 77 | 78 | 78 | 80 | 79 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Colombia | 65 | 64 | 66 | 60 | 63 | 61 | 63 | 60 | 63 |
 Mexico | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
 Argentina | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Chile | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 Guatemala | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
 Honduras | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
 Nicaragua | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
 Paraguay | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
 Saint Lucia | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
| abstentions | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| invalid ballots | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| required majority | 98 | 95 | 96 | 98 | 96 | 97 | 96 | 94 | 95 |
| ballot papers | 144 | 142 | 144 | 147 | 147 | 147 | 146 | 143 | 144 |
| Source:[9] | |||||||||
Day 4
| Member | Round 29 | Round 30 | Round 31 | Round 32 | Round 33 | Round 34 | Round 35 | Round 36 | Round 37 | Round 38 | Round 39 | Round 40 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 82 | 83 | 88 | 87 | 84 | 86 | 83 | 83 | 82 | 87 | 85 | 87 |
| Colombia | 63 | 60 | 57 | 58 | 63 | 59 | 56 | 57 | 57 | 57 | 62 | 60 |
| Brazil | – | – | – | – | – | – | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Saint Lucia | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
 Peru | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chile | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| Mexico | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
 Venezuela | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
 Uruguay | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Paraguay | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| abstentions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| invalid ballots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| required majority | 98 | 97 | 98 | 97 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 96 | 98 | 98 |
| ballot papers | 147 | 146 | 148 | 148 | 147 | 147 | 146 | 144 | 145 | 146 | 148 | 148 |
| Source:[10] | ||||||||||||
Day 5
| Member | Round 41 | Round 42 | Round 43 | Round 44 | Round 45 | Round 46 | Round 47 | Round 48 | Round 49 | Round 50 | Round 51 | Round 52 | Round 53 | Round 54 | Round 55 | Round 56 | Round 57 | Round 58 | Round 59 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 83 | 85 | 85 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 82 | 86 | 80 | 79 | 82 | 80 | 82 | 82 | 80 | 81 | 84 | 81 | 84 |
| Colombia | 58 | 58 | 58 | 59 | 61 | 60 | 62 | 60 | 61 | 65 | 63 | 63 | 63 | 60 | 62 | 59 | 62 | 62 | 62 |
| Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Argentina | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mexico | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Saint Lucia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Brazil | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| Nicaragua | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
 El Salvador | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| abstentions | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| invalid ballots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| required majority | 95 | 96 | 97 | 97 | 98 | 98 | 97 | 98 | 94 | 96 | 97 | 96 | 97 | 96 | 97 | 97 | 98 | 96 | 98 |
| ballot papers | 145 | 147 | 147 | 145 | 149 | 148 | 148 | 148 | 142 | 145 | 147 | 145 | 146 | 146 | 147 | 147 | 148 | 145 | 147 |
| Source:[11][12] | |||||||||||||||||||
Day 6
| Member | Round 60 | Round 61 | Round 62 | Round 63 | Round 64 | Round 65 | Round 66 | Round 67 | Round 68 | Round 69 | Round 70 | Round 71 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 88 | 86 | 83 | 85 | 82 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 81 | 81 | 79 | 82 |
| Colombia | 57 | 58 | 58 | 60 | 61 | 61 | 58 | 58 | 57 | 60 | 58 | 64 |
| Brazil | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 2 | 3 | – | – | – |
 Suriname | – | 1 | 2 | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Uruguay | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Honduras | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| El Salvador | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Chile | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| Saint Lucia | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | – | – | – |
| abstentions | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| invalid ballots | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| required majority | 98 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 96 | 94 | 96 | 94 | 92 | 98 |
| ballot papers | 147 | 147 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 146 | 144 | 146 | 146 | 141 | 147 |
| Source:[13] | ||||||||||||