1971 United Nations Secretary-General selection 1971 United Nations Secretary-General selection A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1971 to succeed U Thant, who was stepping down after two full terms. Three candidates received enough votes in the Security Council to be selected Secretary-General: Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, Kurt Waldheim of Austria, and Max Jakobson of Finland. However, all of the frontrunners were vetoed in the first two rounds of voting. In the third round, Waldheim accidentally escaped a triple-veto when three permanent members failed to coordinate their votes and all abstained. As a result, Kurt Waldheim was selected Secretary-General of the United
1961 United Nations Secretary-General selection The United States and the United Kingdom argued that the General Assembly could act on its own to provide for the rest of Hammarskjöld's term. Several European countries suggested that the officeholder could not hold the title of Acting Secretary-General, as the selection of anyone called "Secretary-General" would require action by the Security Council. The Soviet Union, India, Ireland, and the Scandinavian countries argued that the Security Council must act to select a replacement for Hammarskjöld. Mongi Slim of Tunisia was elected President of the General Assembly on 21 September 1961. The United States came up with a plan for