Abdulla Shahid, the Foreign Minister of the Maldives, was chosen President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session on Monday, receiving 143 votes out of 191 polled.
On Monday, the 193-member General Assembly voted to pick the President, who would lead the UN body’s 76th session, which will begin in September.
In the fray for the election was Mr Shahid as well as former foreign minister of Afghanistan Dr Zalmai Rassoul, who got 48 votes.
“Hearty congratulations to Maldives Foreign Minister @abdulla_shahid for the robust victory and for being elected as the 76th President of the UN General Assembly,” India’s Permanent Mission to the UN tweeted.
The President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly was to be elected from the Group of Asia-Pacific States, according to established regional rotation norms.
Mr Shahid would follow Turkish politician Volkan Bozkir, who served as President of the United Nations General Assembly during the 75th session, which coincided with the exceptional COVID-19 epidemic.
Every year, the President of the General Assembly is elected by secret ballot, and a simple majority vote of the General Assembly is required.
The Group of Asian States, the Group of Eastern European States, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Group of African States, and the Group of Western European and Other States alternate the presidency of the General Assembly.
A regional group traditionally decides on one candidate and nominates him or her for election as President of the General Assembly, setting the path for acclamation election.
India has already expressed its strong support for Mr Shahid’s candidacy for President of the United States General Assembly’s 76th session, claiming that he is most qualified to preside over the world’s 193 nations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar lauded his wide diplomatic expertise and leadership capabilities during a joint news conference with his Maldivian counterpart in Male in February this year.
“In this backdrop, I repeat India’s strong support for Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid’s candidacy for President of the United Nations General Assembly’s 76th session next year.”
Foreign Minister Shahid, with his extensive diplomatic experience and leadership characteristics, is the ideal candidate to preside over the General Assembly of the world’s 193 states, in our opinion. To make this a reality, we will collaborate. “We will be delighted to collaborate with you throughout our tenure on the UN Security Council in 2021-22,” Jaishankar had stated.
In August, India, which is now serving as a non-permanent member of the influential UN Security Council for the year 2021-22, will take over the presidency of the 15-nation UN body.
On a visit to Male in November last year, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said the Maldives should play a bigger role in the UN and underlined India’s support for Shahid’s bid for the presidency of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
