UN weighs in on US and other countries' elections, urges not to vote for 'strongman' politicians

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed his stance on politicians who are "strongman" politicians or who are considered to have "shrill voices" and asked voters not to vote for this type of leadership that, in his opinion, "throw glitter in our eyes."

Türk's remarks came ahead of several elections around the world, including those in the United States in which Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are seeking to reach the White House.

"And I urge all voters to be vigilant. Be wary of the shrill voices, the ‘strongman’ types that throw glitter in our eyes, offering illusory solutions that deny reality," Türk said in his traditional opening address to Human Rights Council sessions, which typically list a wide range of human rights issues around the world.

Defending the U.N. migration agenda, Türk argued that there are politicians who use migration policies to, in his view, attack a particular group of people. He maintained that they use immigrants as "scapegoats."

In that sense, he pointed out that this happens mainly in countries such as the United States, Austria, France, Germany, Hungary and the United Kingdom. "They capitalize on anxiety and despair, pitting one group against the other, and they seek to distract and divide. History has shown us that hateful words can trigger hateful actions," the U.N. official assured.