Guterres topped all six polls, which included a total of 13 candidates — seven women and six men. Guterres is intimately familiar with the contours of the crisis, having managed the UN’s response to it until last December. The Russians in particular were rumoured to be holding out for an Eastern European secretary general. Ban hasn’t been loud, literally and figuratively, and under his tenure, the role of secretary general has lacked the commanding moral authority that one might expect from the convener of the world’s nations. It is often said, however, that without any military backing, the UN secretary general is more secretary than general.

Source: National Post October 13, 2016 15:22 UTC