South Korean foreign minister Ban Ki-moonhe came out on top Monday, as the UN Security Council conducted its first straw poll in the process to find a successor for Kofi Annan as secretary-general:
Ban 12
Tharoor 10
Surakiart 7
Dhanapala 5
The balloting required security council members to either "encourage", "discourage" or offer "no opinion" on the four candidates.
The poll is designed to provide candidates some about their support and allow them to make a decision on whether to continue. It also provides an opportunity for new candidates to enter the race.
According to The Australian, the straw poll raised expectations that former Singaporean prime minister Goh Chok Tong would soon enter the race:
Mr. Goh, Singapore's prime minister from 1990-2004, has strong support in the Non-Aligned Movement but he is hamstrung by the fact that ASEAN, which includes Singapore, has endorsed Dr Surakiart as its candidate.
The next straw poll is not likely until late August.
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