The 15-member Security Council cast secret ballots for each of the ten candidates.

The voting system required the council to select from three choices encourage, discourage or no opinion.

Guterres received 13 encourage votes and two no opinion votes.

The Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin made the announcement:“Today, after our sixth straw poll, we have a clear favorite and his name is António Guterres. We have decided to go for a formal vote tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock and we hope it can be done by acclamation. This is what we are looking at.Tomorrow morning acclamation vote and we wish Mr. Guterres well in the charging of his duties as the secretary general of United Nations for the next 5 years.”

As well as serving as prime minister António Guterres is a former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

He replaces the Korean Ban Ki-moon. (Euronews)