1948 United Nations Security Council election
8 October 1948
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three of six non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council | |||
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The 1948 United Nations Security Council election was held on 8 October during the third session of the United Nations General Assembly, held in Paris, France. The General Assembly elected three members through consultation of the president as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for two-year mandates commencing on 1 January 1949.
Rules
The Security Council had 11 seats, filled by five permanent members and six non-permanent members before 1967. Each year, half of the non-permanent members were elected for two-year terms.[1][2] A sitting member could not immediately run for re-election.[3]
In order to earn a seat, nations had to win a vote total of at least two thirds of the number of countries casting votes.[4] In the early years of the United Nations, the regional seat grouping were described as "gentlemen's agreements" between the five permanent members, and details such as which nations were eligible for certain groupings were not strictly defined.[5]
Result
At this time, the United Nations had 58 member states.[6] In the first round, there were nine nations receiving votes for three seats.
Vote
The four rounds of balloting were held on 8 October 1948 at the 149th plenary meeting of the General Assembly.[7]
| Member | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Cuba | 52 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Norway | 44 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Egypt | 30 | 34 | 36 | 38 |
| Turkey | 23 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
| Denmark | 3 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Pakistan | 2 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| New Zealand | 1 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Siam | 1 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Sweden | 1 | N/a | N/a | N/a |
Cuba was elected unanimously on the first ballot, with Norway also receiving enough votes to secure the Western European Seat. As Egypt and Turkey were the states with the highest number of votes contesting the Middle Eastern seat, in accordance with the rules, consecutive rounds of restricted voting would commence. In these rounds, only the two states that have attained the highest number of votes in the previous round (Egypt and Turkey) could be voted on, and any other votes would be considered invalid.[4]
After four rounds of voting, Egypt secured 38 votes to earn the final seat. It would be Egypt's second time serving, after having served for one year following the January 1946 United Nations Security Council election. Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Mohamed Khashaba Pasha said after the vote that Egypt would represent all Arab nations including Turkey, and said that the vote should be called an "Arab victory".[4]
See also
- List of members of the United Nations Security Council
- Category:Cuba and the United Nations (5)
- Category:Norway and the United Nations (7)
- Category:Egypt and the United Nations (12)
References
- ^ United Nations Security Council (2008), Repertoire of the practice of the Security Council, United Nations Publications, p. 178, ISBN 9789211370300, retrieved 3 November 2011
- ^ Conforti, Benedetto (2005), The law and practice of the United Nations, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, p. 61, ISBN 9004143092, retrieved 3 November 2011
- ^ Charter of the United Nations, Article 23
- ^ a b c "Three Nations Get Places On U.N. Board". Daily Sentinel (Rome, New York). 8 Oct 1948. p. 1. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
- ^ Agam, Hasmy; Sam Daws; Terence O'Brien; Ramesh Takur (26 March 1999). What is Equitable Geographic Representation in the Twenty-First Century (PDF) (Report). United Nations University. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
- ^ "Growth in United Nations membership, 1945–present". United Nations. Archived from the original on 12 July 2014.
- ^ United Nations General Assembly Session 59 Note verbale dated 20 July 2005 from the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General A/59/881 page 5. 26 July 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2025.