The United Nations reported on Friday, 8 June 2018 that the Dominican Republic was elected to be one of the two non-permanent seats for Latin American states in the 15-member Security Council during a single round of voting by members of the United Nations General Assembly. This is the first time the Dominican Republic will be on the Security Council. It is the third time the country lobbied for a seat on the Council.
Only the vote for the Indonesia seat was contested (between Indonesia and Maldives). The four countries running without opposition – Dominican Republic, Germany, Belgium and South Africa — all received over 180 votes. The non-permanent members serve two-year terms on the body that sets the UN’s whole peace and security agenda.
The Dominican Republic and the other new members will assume their positions starting on of 1 January 2019.
In addition to the Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium were elected for Western Europe and Other States, Indonesia for Asian and Pacific States and South Africa for African States.
The Council’s ten non-permanent seats, are allocated according to a rotation pattern set by the Assembly in 1963, to ensure fair regional representation on the Council: five from African and Asian and Pacific States; one from Eastern Europe; two from Latin American States; and two from Western European and Other States (WEOG).
The Security Council has five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France — and 10 members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms. Five countries are elected every year. The other non-permanent members of the Security Council are Peru, Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, and Poland until January 2020.
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Ministry of Foreign Relations
Diario Libre
Washington Post
United Nations
11 June 2018
