Bangladesh’s top diplomat elected UN General Assembly leader in tight race

Key points

• Khalilur Rahman elected as the president of the UNGA’s 81st session, garnering 99 votes in secret ballot.
• Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman has been elected president of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly after defeating Cyprus’s Ambassador Andreas Kakouris in a closely contested vote, taking the helm of the world’s most representative diplomatic body at a time of mounting pressure on the multilateral system.
• In the secret ballot held on Tuesday, Rahman secured 99 votes, eight more compared with his competitor Kakouris.
• A total of 190 ballots were cast, with no invalid votes or abstentions.
• The presidency rotates among the UN’s five regional groups, and the 81st session falls to the Asia Pacific group.