Kyrgyzstan has been elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the first time

Kyrgyzstan won 142 votes in the fourth round, overtaking the Philippines, which also claimed one place from the group of states of the Asia-Pacific region.

Following the results of today's elections, Austria and Portugal will also join the Security Council from the group of Western European and other States, Trinidad and Tobago from the group of Latin American and Caribbean countries, and Zimbabwe from the group of African States. To be elected, the countries needed to receive two thirds of the votes of the Member States, i.e. 127 votes.

The Security Council consists of 15 countries. Five of them - the United Kingdom, China, Russia, the United States and France – are permanent members with veto power. Ten more are elected for two-year terms. The terms of office of five non-permanent members - Greece, Denmark, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia - expire at the end of 2026. They will be replaced by the countries chosen today.

The Security Council has primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. In some cases, the Security Council may resort to sanctions or even authorize the use of force in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.