President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock.Image: keystone
June 3, 2026, 9:03 p.mJune 3, 2026, 9:03 p.m
Germany has failed miserably in its candidacy for a seat on the powerful United Nations Security Council. The Federal Republic was defeated by Portugal and Austria in the first round of voting in New York, as the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, announced. The Federal Republic has already been represented in the Security Council six times, most recently in 2019 and 2020. According to diplomats, Germany has never been unsuccessful in a candidacy. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) announced an in-depth analysis of the reasons for the failure.
Germany only got 104 votes. 127 votes would have been needed for the necessary two-thirds majority, said Baerbock. 134 countries voted for Portugal, Austria received 131 votes. The world organization has a total of 193 member states. Afghanistan and Venezuela are currently not eligible to vote.
Wants to find out why Germany failed: Johann WadephulImage: keystone
For Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (both CDU, motto: “Foreign policy from a single source”), the failure represents a bitter setback in their efforts to position Germany as an important player on the international stage more strongly than before. Wadephul had been trying since Friday in New York to convince shaky candidates and avoid embarrassment. That didn’t work.
Merz: Remain a reliable pillar of the multilateral system
Merz assured that Germany would continue to assume its responsibilities in the United Nations. “The tasks set for us in the United Nations will not change as a result of this result,” he explained in Berlin. “Germany remains a reliable pillar of the multilateral system. We bear this responsibility with determination.”
In response to a journalist’s question, Wadephul revealed that he had thought about personal consequences if the German application failed – but then discarded these thoughts. He said he asked himself “some time ago whether I need to think about further questions.” But the election results developed over a long period of time, he added, adding: “And I have nothing to blame myself personally.”
The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Image: keystone
“The result is a real disappointment and it is a bitter defeat,” admitted Wadephul. His power of persuasion and that of “all those who are internationally involved in the federal government will not be any greater as a result of this result.” He will continue to ensure that Germany remains involved in the UN and does not withdraw out of disappointment. The minister had previously expressed hope – and took selfies with the opposing candidates from Austria and Portugal before the vote.
When asked whether Germany would now apply for the next vacant seats in its regional group in combat candidacies for the Security Council, Wadephul said the normal application cycle was every eight years. There is “a lot to suggest that we stick to exactly that.” For 2029/30, Australia and Finland are running for the two seats in the corresponding regional group. Two states have already declared their candidacies for all possible further candidacies up to the mid-2030s. So far, only Sweden has declared that it will run for the 2035/36 election period.
Opposition: Defeat and embarrassment for the Chancellor
In Berlin, Left Party leader Ines Schwerdtner spoke of a “defeat for the so-called Foreign Chancellor Friedrich Merz”. It is also the acknowledgment that Germany has kept its mouth shut in the decisive conflicts of these days and has not clearly identified violations of international law, she told “T-Online”. AfD leader Alice Weidel described Merz as another “embarrassment”.
The United Nations headquarters in New York.Image: keystone
After the USA, China and Japan, Germany is the largest donor in terms of membership fees. If you add the budget for Blue Helmet missions and voluntary payments, they are number two. After Germany’s failure for the Security Council, critics are now likely to complain even louder that the federal government spends a lot of money on the UN but is not sufficiently taken into account when allocating important positions.
Defeat in New York after a difficult election campaign
The German candidacy was under difficult circumstances from the start: Berlin only entered the election campaign in 2020, later than Lisbon and Vienna. Germany’s stance on the Gaza war also met with criticism, as did its cautious reaction to the Israeli attack on Iran and the US’s actions in Venezuela. SPD parliamentary group deputy Siemtje Möller, for example, demanded that a consequence of the failed election should be a clearer stance by the federal government in international conflicts.
Wadephul, on the other hand, saw Germany’s clear stance on the Ukraine war as a reason for not joining the UN body: It was no secret that Russia had campaigned against the German candidacy.
Johann Wadephul: “It is no secret that Russia campaigned against the German candidacy.”Image: keystone
Only in the Security Council can decisions with binding effects under international law be made for the UN member states. He can impose sanctions, decide on arms embargoes, send peacekeepers (so-called blue helmets) or authorize military operations.
Security Council paralyzed
However, the Security Council was paralyzed by the sometimes conflicting interests of its permanent members during the Ukraine war and for a long time in connection with Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. Permanent representatives are the nuclear powers China, France, Great Britain, Russia and the USA.
From 2027, in addition to Austria and Portugal, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, Trinidad and Tobago as well as the countries Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Latvia and Liberia, which were already elected in 2025, will sit on the UN Security Council. Every year, five of the ten non-permanent seats are filled for two years. (sda/dpa)