The election of the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the 81st session will be held today (June 2) at 10am (NY Time) in the General Assembly Hall, UNHQs.
The outcome of the election is expected to be announced after 8pm today (Tuesday), following the completion of voting.
The election will be held in line with Rule 30 of the Rules of Procedure.
In accordance with the established regional rotation, the President of the 81st session of the General Assembly will be elected from the Asia Pacific Group.
Bangladesh and Cyprus are competing for the post.
“While Bangladesh's candidate, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, is widely viewed as a very strong contender, the outcome will ultimately depend on how competing geopolitical interests align in the closing stages of the campaign, making the final moments before the vote particularly significant,” a diplomat told UNB.
Bangladesh last held the prestigious position in 1986-87, when then Foreign Minister Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury was elected President of the 41st General Assembly.
Four decades later, the country is seeking to reclaim the post.
The 81st session of the UNGA will open on September 8, 2026, with the high-level General Debate commencing on September 22.
Ambassador Andreas S. Kakouris, Cyprus' candidate for the UNGA Presidency, brings over four decades of diplomatic and administrative experience in multilateral and bilateral diplomacy, as well as at headquarters.
The position changes every year and rotates among the five regional groups of the UN (Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others).
The President is elected directly by the member states in the UNGA, with each country having one vote.
On June 2, 2025, former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock was elected President of the General Assembly’s 80th session.
She assumed the role at a challenging time, with ongoing conflicts, faltering development goals, mounting financial pressures, and the upcoming selection of the next Secretary-General.
Baerbock received 167 votes following the secret ballot. Fourteen delegations abstained.