In February 2006, Ban announced his candidacy to replace Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General at the end of 2006. He was the first South Korean to run for Secretary-General. He got the most votes in each of the four straw polls conducted by the United Nations Security Council on July 24, 2006, September 14, 2006 September 28, 2006 and October 2, 2006.