German efforts to retain a place as a temporary member of the United Nations security council flopped late on Wednesday, June 3rd.
The two-year term spots as a representative of ‘Western Europe and others’, which previously Germany has secured on numerous occasions, went to Austria (131 votes) and Portugal (134 votes). The Federal Republic placed third, with 104 votes. Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were also elected to the Security Council.
The vote comes as an embarrassment for Germany, with foreign minister Johann Wadephul describing losing a “bitter defeat.” It is also a blow to new Hungarian prime minister Péter Magyar, who reportedly took Germany’s side in the build-up to the vote, against Austria.
Wadephul’s instinct was to blame Russia for the humiliation, stating
There is our firm support for Ukraine, the fact that Russia does not want such a voice at the Security Council.
Russia has not responded to the allegations. Wadephul also cited his country’s “special responsibility for Israel” for other member states’ voting patterns and, more quietly, the Federal Republic’s late entry into the Security Council electoral race.
The result will further undermine German chancellor Friedrich Merz, who has often sought to counter critics of his domestic policy by referring to his apparent prestige overseas.
