UN elects five new Security Council non-permanent members(Lead)

Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Venezuela and Spain Thursday were elected as the new non-permanent members of the Security Council for a two years term by the UN General Assembly.

These five countries replace retiring members Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, South Korea and Rwanda, xinhua reported.

The newly elected members term will be begining from Jan 1, 2015.

The only real contest in the balloting was among New Zealand, Spain and Turkey for two seats from the Western European and Others Group (WEOG).

New Zealand handily won on the first ballot with 145 votes, while Spain failed to qualify with its 121 votes as did Turkey with its 109.

Five non-permanent members are elected every year to join the five permanent and veto-wielding members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.

The United Nations has 193 member states and a two-thirds majority of 129 votes is needed to win a non-permanent seat in the council.

Spain with 132 votes won over Turkey's 60 votes on a third ballot which required a two-thirds majority of 128 votes out of the total 192 valid ballots cast. One member abstained from voting.

Angola, Malaysia and Venezuela were virtually assured of victory because they had been put forward by their regional groupings of Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Angola tallied 190 votes and Malaysia 187.

Venezuela garnered 181 of the 182 valid ballots cast, with 10 abstentions, and one write-in for Brazil.

--Indo-Asian News service

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