For the first time in its history, Germany failed to win a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Following the vote at the UN General Assembly session on June 3, the seats allocated to the Western European and Others group for 2027-2028 went to Portugal (134 votes out of 190) and Austria (131 votes). Germany received just 104 votes and was eliminated from the race.
Germany had last served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council in 2019-2020. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Russia was responsible for this failure, having led a campaign against the German candidacy. “We strongly support Ukraine, and Russia does not want to see such a voice in the Security Council,” said the minister. He did not, however, provide any evidence or concrete details. Wadephul also raised the possibility that Berlin’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had played a role: support for Israel could have alienated some of the Global South states.
Following the June 3 vote, the five new non-permanent members, who will replace Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia, whose mandates expire at the end of 2026, are distributed as follows:
- Western European and Others Group: Austria and Portugal
- Asia-Pacific Region: Kyrgyzstan
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Trinidad and Tobago
- African Group: Zimbabwe
The UN Security Council consists of 15 members: five permanent (the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States, and France) holding veto power, and ten non-permanent members elected for two-year terms.
