3 days ago
Ex-German foreign minister elected president of UN General Assembly in rare vote
Germany's former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has been elected president of the United Nations General Assembly despite strong opposition from Russia.
The presidency rotates annually among the five regional groups.
Baerbock was expected to be chosen without a vote to lead the 80th session of the General Assembly that kicks off in September.
However, UN officials say that Russia, which opposed Baerbock's candidacy, requested a rare vote on Monday, even though the former foreign minister was the only candidate.
Baerbock received 167 votes in a secret ballot. Fourteen countries abstained.
The election came after a Russian representative criticized her last month. The envoy accused her of consistently blackmailing other countries.
The representative also claimed that Baerbock has encouraged nations to give Ukraine more military aid and urged European countries to increase their military budgets.
Baerbock said in an acceptance speech that the UN is "under immense pressure, politically and financially."
She added, "We also need to join efforts now to preserve what the United Nations has achieved since its establishment in 1945 to address current global crises and to adapt to emerging future challenges."
