Guatemala and Venezuela deadlocked over UN Security Council seat

Guatemala today repeatedly failed to muster the necessary votes to beat out Venezuela for a Latin American seat on the UN Security Council, prompting diplomats to demand a compromise candidate be put forward.

In round after round of voting in the 192-member General Assembly, Guatemala and Venezuela’s results differed little from previous rounds.

Each consistently drew short of the necessary 123 for a two-thirds majority to win a two-year stint on the UN’s most powerful body.

That result led diplomats to call for an alternative choice – a step that would require the United Nations’ Latin American and Caribbean group of nations to agree on a new candidate. Guatemala and Venezuela would also have to give up their campaigns.

“It’s obvious that the General Assembly is sharply divided and we are facing a deadlock in this election,” said the Arab League’s UN representative Yahya Mahmassani.

“We look forward to the group of Latin American and Caribbean states to find a solution to this impasse, with the acquiescence and acceptance of the two candidates.”

Yet neither Venezuela nor Guatemala appeared willing to drop out of the election.