Germany suffered a resounding defeat in its bid for a seat on the powerful UN Security Council, losing out to Portugal and Austria in a vote on Wednesday.
Germany has previously served on the Security Council six times, most recently in 2019 and 2020, and traditionally runs for a seat every eight years. According to diplomats, Berlin has never before failed in a bid for election.
Germany was eliminated in the first round of voting, securing just 104 votes. A two-thirds majority of 127 votes was required. Portugal received 134 votes and Austria 131. The United Nations has 193 member states, although Afghanistan and Venezuela are currently not entitled to vote.
The outcome is a setback for Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who have sought to position Germany more prominently on the international stage.
Merz said Germany would continue to fulfil its responsibilities within the United Nations despite the result. “
The tasks entrusted to us within the United Nations will not change as a result of this outcome,” he stated in Berlin. “Germany remains a reliable pillar of the multilateral system. We bear this responsibility with determination.”
“The result is a real disappointment, and it is a bitter defeat,” Wadephul conceded in New York.
Criticism from Germany's opposition parties
In Berlin, Left Party leader Ines Schwerdtner said the failed bid to get a non-permanent seat on the council had undermined Merz's efforts to establish himself as a "foreign policy chancellor."
She told German online news outlet T-Online that the result was a consequence of Germany having remained silent on the crucial conflicts roiling the world and failing to clearly identify breaches of international law.
Alice Weidel of the populist far-right Alternative for Germany called it another “embarrassment” for Merz.
Anticipating a nail-biting finish, Wadephul had travelled to New York late last week to try to convince wavering UN members at the last minute and avoid embarrassment. In the end, however, the effort failed.
Defeat after a difficult campaign
Germany's campaign faced challenges from the outset. Berlin entered the race in 2020, later than its rivals Portugal and Austria. Germany's position on the Gaza war also drew criticism, as did its cautious response to Israel's attack on Iran and US actions in Venezuela.
Despite those difficulties, Wadephul had struck a confident tone ahead of the vote. Before proceedings began, he took selfies in the UN General Assembly Hall with his Austrian and Portuguese counterparts, Beate Meinl-Reisinger and Paulo Rangel.
“We are going into this vote with confidence and a positive outlook,” Wadephul told journalists shortly before the ballot. Austria and Portugal, he said, “have engaged in a fair and constructive contest with us.”
Regardless of the outcome, both countries were “European states and governments with which we have truly close ties,” he added.
Merz and Wadephul had hoped a Security Council seat would allow Germany to play a greater role in addressing international crises, including the war in Ukraine and the future of the Gaza Strip.
Wadephul has repeatedly argued that the United Nations and its Security Council should remain the central institutions for finding political solutions to wars and conflicts.
Key UN body
The Security Council comprises 15 of the 193 UN member states. Five nuclear powers and victorious nations of World War II are permanent members and hold veto power: The United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France.
Other states take turns occupying the remaining 10 non-permanent seats for two-year terms.
Germany’s failure to secure a seat on the Security Council is unlikely to mean that the German government will scale back its commitment to the UN.
Critics, however, are likely to complain more vociferously than before that Germany spends a great deal of money on the UN but is not given sufficient consideration when important posts are being filled.
