GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMPLETES ELECTION TO FILL VACANCIES ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

31 October 1996

Press Release
GA/9149

GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMPLETES ELECTION TO FILL VACANCIES ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

19961031 Sri Lanka, Defeating Viet Nam, Chosen in Fourth Ballot for Asian Seat

The General Assembly this afternoon completed the election of 18 members to the 54-member Economic and Social Council, with the election of Sri Lanka from among the Group of Asian States to fill the last remaining vacancy on the Council.

During two rounds of balloting this morning, the Assembly elected Cape Verde, Cuba, Djibouti, El Salvador, Gambia, Iceland, Latvia, Mexico, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Spain, Turkey and Zambia and re-elected Chile, France, Germany and Japan. During a third round of balloting to fill the remaining Asian seat, no candidate received the necessary two-thirds majority.

All members elected during today's voting will serve three-year terms beginning on 1 January 1997. They will fill seats being vacated at the end of the current year by five members of the Group of African States (Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe); three members of the Asian States (Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan); one member of the Eastern European States (Bulgaria); four members of the Latin American and Caribbean States (Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Venezuela); and five members of Western European and Other States (France, Germany, Greece, Ireland and Portugal).

The vacant seats have been filled according to that geographic distribution.

General Assembly Plenary - 2 - Press Release GA/9149 48th Meeting (PM) 31 October 1996

Fourth Ballot

The results of the fourth round of voting are as follows:

Asian States (1)

Number of ballot papers: 168 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 168 Abstentions: 1 Number of Members voting: 167 Required majority: 112

Number of votes obtained:

Sri Lanka: 112 Viet Nam: 55

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 1 November, to continue review of the progress of its working group on Security Council reform.

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