Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was elected president of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Monday.

Also, Bangladesh was elected vice-president of the same session from the Asia-Pacific region. Twenty-one vice-presidents are elected for each session of the UNGA according to a pattern that ensures equitable geographical representation.

However, this is the first time the Maldives presented a candidate for the presidency of the UNGA after joining the UN in 1965.

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The victory meant that the Maldives' Shahid will be only the sixth president from the small islands developing states (SIDS) to preside over the UNGA, according to Maldives Foreign Ministry.

Shahid will replace Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir, who tweeted: "I wholeheartedly congratulate Abdulla Shahid on his election as the next President of UNGA. Shahid brings to the position extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy, serving his country as a foreign minister twice and has been a strong voice for SIDS."

Shahid, nominated as the Maldives candidate for the session that will commence on September 14, won 143 votes out of the 191 ballots cast.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated the new UNGA president, saying: "Shahid's experience, including his current role as foreign minister, has given him a deep understanding of the importance of multilateralism."

"In 2021, the world needs that effectiveness more than ever and the 76th session of the UNGA will grapple with the impact of the pandemic across the three pillars of our work – peace and security, development, and, of course, human rights."

The UNGA president is elected every year by a secret ballot and requires a simple majority vote of the organ.

The UNGA – which serves as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN – was to pick the president for its 76th session from the Group of Asia-Pacific States, according to the established rules of regional rotation.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly (PGA) is responsible for chairing the UNGA session for the elected term and is also the presiding officer for this duration.

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The president represents the whole membership at conferences, other international and regional meetings, and can co-host events with the member states and other partners.