In a single round of balloting on Tuesday, 188 United Nations Member States voted to elect Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Latvia, and Liberia as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The newly elected members will serve two-year terms from January 2026 through December 2027.
Strong Mandates Across Regions
In the African and Asia-Pacific group, the voting tallies were as follows:
- Bahrain: 186 votes
- Democratic Republic of the Congo: 183 votes
- Liberia: 181 votes
One country abstained from voting in this group.
In the Eastern European group, Latvia received 178 votes, with 10 abstentions.
For Latin America and the Caribbean, Colombia garnered 180 votes, with 8 abstentions.
Latvia Makes History
Among the five elected, Latvia will take a seat on the Security Council for the first time in its history. The other four countries have previously served:
- Colombia: 7 terms
- DRC: 2 terms
- Bahrain and Liberia: 1 term each
New Members Commit to Global Peace Efforts
After the vote, representatives of the newly elected countries addressed the media, sharing their goals and areas of focus while serving on the Council.
Several referenced global conflicts—including those in Africa, the Middle East, and Ukraine—as priorities for engagement and resolution.
DRC Brings Conflict Expertise to the Table
Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, DRC’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that her country would contribute real-world experience from decades of conflict.
“We will most certainly come to the Security Council bearing the experience of a country that knows what it is like to have decades of conflict… We wish to bring this expertise not to serve our own interests, but to serve the interests of humanity,” she said.
Liberia Calls for Unity and Equity
Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, underscored the importance of collective responsibility and global justice.
“We have gathered here as representatives of diverse cultures and perspectives, but we are united in our shared purpose to forge a more just and equitable world.”
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