Members of the UN Security Council meet at the United Nations headquarters in New York. —AFP Photo

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan, Morocco and Guatemala on Friday won seats on the UN Security Council for 2012-13 in a vote by the UN General Assembly.

All three got more than the two-thirds majority required from the 193 United Nations members on the first round of voting. Two other non-permanent seats, one for Europe and one for Africa, were left to be decided in at least one new round of voting.

Pakistan, which got 129 votes, exactly the two-thirds majority required, will now be on the 15-member Security Council with regional rival India for one year.

Morocco secured 151 votes. Togo and Mauritania were to face off in a new vote for the second available seat for Africa.

Guatemala secured the Latin American seat unopposed.

Neither Azerbaijan (74 votes), Slovenia (67) nor Hungary (52) got close to the two-thirds mark and so the available European seat went to a second round.

The five new nations will replace Bosnia for Europe, Brazil from Latin America, Arab state Lebanon and Africa's Gabon and Nigeria, who will all vacate their council seats on December 31.

The new countries will start their two-year term on January 1.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...