- Ms Baki nomination was formalized by Tonga, which considered that his diplomatic career could contribute to strengthening multilateralism and international cooperation.
- Seven candidates remain in the race.
United Nations, Sept. 4 (DPnet).– Ecuador 's former trade minister Ivonne Baki became the eighth candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) by mid August after being nominated by Tonga to succeed António Guterres , whose term expires on December 31. Tonga's Permanent Representative to the UN, Viliami Va'inga Tone, formalized the candidacy in a letter addressed to the President of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock , and the President of the Security Council, currently Danish Representative Christina Markus Lassen .
However, after the first round concluded, Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki threw her hat into the race to succeed Antonio Guterres, who will complete his second five-year term on December 31, 2026.
Other candidates nominated are Guyanese ex-foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who narrowly led the second round of votes, a diplomatic source and specialist media said Friday. Costa Rica's former vice president Rebeca Grynspan, who leads UNCTAD, was the front-runner last month when the 15-member Security Council held a first informal vote, behind closed doors and by secret ballot. She dipped slightly to second place, while Argentina's Rafael Mariano Grossi, the current head of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), came in third, according to the diplomatic source and specialist publication Pass Blue. Chile's Michelle Bachelet, backed by Mexico and Brazil is also a candidate in spite that Chile withdrew its support, alongside Ecuador's Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Uganda's Olara Otunnu and Senegal's Macky Sall. 
Even if one candidate gets the required eight votes on the 15-member Security Council – which chooses the future UN chief before submitting the name for approval by the General Assembly – that candidate must also avoid a veto from one of the council's five permanent members. On the second informal straw poll (21 August), Guyana’s Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett emerged ahead of the field with eight favorable votes..
The 15-nation council will continue holding further straw polls (eventually shifting to color-coded ballots to signal potential vetoes by permanent members) before formally recommending a single candidate to the General Assembly prior to the end of Guterres's term on December 31, 2026.
After a candidate is approved, the U.N. Security Council recommends a candidate for Secretary-General, and the U.N. General Assembly formally appoints that person through a process rooted in Article 97 of the U.N. Charter.