been elected as non-permanent members
of the United Nations Security Council for two years. The countries elected to the UN Security Council for 2026-27 are Bahrain, Colombia, Congo, Latvia and Liberia.
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The Security Council is the only body in the United Nations that can make legally binding decisions, such as sanctions and authorizations for the use of force. The five permanent members of the council are the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, and the United States. Each of them has the power to veto.
The other 10 of the 15 members are temporary, with five new members joining each year. Bahrain, Congo, Latvia, Liberia and Congo will be replaced by Algeria, Sierra Leone, South Korea, Guyana and Slovenia.
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102 hungry people killed in Gaza in 8 days
102 hungry people killed in Gaza in 8 days
These seats are allocated to regional groups to ensure geographical representation. However, even if a candidate country is unopposed in their group, a two-thirds vote of the UN General Assembly is required.
The newly elected Bahrain received 186 votes in the General Assembly, Congo 183, Liberia 181, Colombia 180, and Latvia 178.
The United Nations General Assembly has elected former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock as president of the 80th session, which begins in September.
