Rebeca Grynspan maintains the strongest position in the race to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General, whose term ends December 31, 2026. Recent Security Council straw polls, including the third round on September 18, show her securing nine encourage votes against five discourage and one no-opinion, ahead of Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett. These non-binding votes reflect broad support among the 15 members for the Costa Rican economist and former vice president, who is viewed as a Latin American continuity candidate with extensive UN experience at UNCTAD. Multiple further polls are expected before any recommendation reaches the General Assembly, with several members signaling interest in the first female leader. Other nominees trail due to lower encourage tallies and higher discourage counts in the same rounds.