UN elects German Annalena Baerbock as President of the General Assembly
Moscow had opposed the election of the German politician, demanding a vote from which she finally emerged victorious.
File image of Annalena Baerbock.
After an unusual vote demanded by Russia, former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was elected president of the UN General Assembly.
During a debate with Baerbock in mid-May, Russia had made it clear that it opposed the German candidate and had demanded that she be put to a vote, diplomatic sources told AFP. "Baerbock has repeatedly proved her incompetence, extreme bias and lack of understanding of the basic principles of diplomacy," Russian deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said at the time.
The Assembly president is elected every year for a one-year term, but this single-candidate election, which rotates geographically, is usually by acclamation.
Germany had in September nominated diplomat Helga Schmid, who served as secretary general of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2020-24, as its candidate. But in March she changed her mind and proposed Baerbock, who was stepping down as head of diplomacy after the parliamentary elections in February.
"A trust-based dialogue"
"I will engage in a trust-based dialogue with all Member States. My door will always be open for everyone," Baerbock promised after her election.
In Monday's secret ballot, Baerbock received 167 votes in her favor, 14 states abstained and seven voted for Schmid.
She will take office in September, replacing Cameroon's Philémon Yang.
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