June 4, 2026 | 01:52 pm

UN Security Council in New York, January 2024. Shutterstock

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. The five new members will serve for a two-year term.The election marks the first time Kyrgyzstan will serve on the UNSC.The newly elected countries will replace the expiring non-permanent members of the UNSC: Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia. They will take office on January 1, 2027, and serve until December 31, 2028.Candidates must receive the support of two-thirds of the UN member states present and voting in the General Assembly to secure a non-permanent seat on the UNSC, regardless of whether the candidacy is contested.A minimum of 129 votes in favor is required to secure a seat if all 193 member states are present and voting. UN member states that abstain are considered to have not voted.Seven candidates are vying for the five available seats this year. Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected in the first round of voting.Three additional rounds of voting were held before Kyrgyzstan defeated the Philippines in a tight race.Meanwhile, citing DW, Germany lost the vote to become a temporary member of the UNSC in a competition against Austria and Portugal for two seats in the "Western Europe" and "Others" group.The UNSC has 15 member states, five of which are permanent members: the United Kingdom, China, France, Russia, and the United States. Ten non-permanent seats on the council are allocated based on geographic region, with five of these seats replaced annually.The five newly elected countries represent the Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others groups. The Eastern Europe group did not participate in this year's election, as its seat, currently held by Latvia until 2027, is up for grabs every two years.The Security Council is considered the most powerful body in the UN. It is tasked with maintaining international peace and security and can make legally binding decisions, has the authority to impose sanctions and authorizes the use of military force.Read: Germany Loses Vote for UN Security Council SeatClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News