MOSCOW, September 23. /TASS/. The new UN secretary general cannot be determined by "pure arithmetic," and consultations among the five permanent Security Council members will be required, Russian Foreign Ministry official Kirill Logvinov told TASS.

Logvinov noted that after the September 18 straw poll, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Rebeca Grynspan, and Olara Otunnu led, but each has five to seven votes against. He said it is impossible to say whether any negative vote represents a veto until the colored ballots stage, and Moscow expects full-fledged consultations among the "five" to begin soon.

Eight candidates are running: Rafael Grossi, Rebeca Grynspan, Michelle Bachelet, Macky Sall, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Ivonne Baki, and Olara Otunnu. Guterres' term expires December 31, 2026.