Grynspan of Costa Rica Leads 1st Security Council Straw Poll, Followed by Rodrigues BirkettThe United Nations Security Council held its first secret straw poll on Thursday morning to measure support for the seven candidates seeking one of the world’s most politically consequential but institutionally constrained jobs. For each candidate, the 15 Council members anonymously marked on paper one of three choices: encourage, discourage or no opinion. Support by the numbersAccording to sources, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica led the first straw poll with 10 “encourage,” one “discourage” and four “no opinion” votes. Macky Sall of Senegal placed fifth with six encourage, seven discourage and two no opinions. The formal process began through a joint letter issued by the respective presidents of the General Assembly and Security Council, on Nov. 25, 2025.