It will be with bated breath that Filipino officials and diplomats will be monitoring, in real time on Wednesday, June 3, the expected vote before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (GA) that will decide if the Philippines secures a non-permanent seat in the preeminent UN Security Council for 2027 to 2028.
The June 3 vote, expected to take place at 10 pm Philippine time (10 am in New York, where the UN is based) is the culmination of more than three years of both public and private campaigning by most all corners of the executive — from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. himself, the two veteran diplomats who’ve served as foreign secretary under his term, and the various Philippine embassies and consulates tasked to court and convince their hosts abroad.
If all goes perfectly, Filipinos will know well before midnight on June 4 (Manila time) if the Philippines won its seat — that is, if Manila is able to secure at least two-thirds of the votes from members present and voting at the General Assembly.
Assuming all 193 UN member states show up on June 3, that means the Philippines should get at least 129 positive votes.
Election is conducted through a secret ballot. Sometimes, several rounds of voting — again, through secret ballot — are required for a member state to win the seat.
