Baerbock elected President of the UN General Assembly

The United Nations has elected former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Green Party) as the new President of the General Assembly. She received 167 of 188 valid votes in a secret ballot, Chair Philemon Yang announced on Monday. The Green Party politician expressed her gratitude and said she wanted to be an "honest broker" for the General Assembly. 

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The election was subject to a disruptive maneuver, suspected of being orchestrated by Russia and allied states. Although Baerbock was officially the only candidate for the post, seven UN countries included the name of top German diplomat Helga Schmid on the ballot. Another 14 countries abstained.

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Schmid was originally considered the German candidate for the UN post. However, after her defeat in February, the former German government surprisingly nominated Baerbock for the post. The Green Party politician had repeatedly sharply criticized Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia, in turn, criticized Baerbock's candidacy as a "slap in the face" to the UN, accusing it of "incompetence" and "extreme partisanship."

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In Germany, there were also critical voices following Baerbock's nomination. The UN is not a "self-service store," said Christoph Heusgen, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference and advisor to Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

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In her acceptance speech, Baerbock said that at the UN she would focus on "what we can do together, rather than asking what divides us." "Better together" is the motto of her work. In her application speech a good two weeks ago, Baerbock described the United Nations as more important than ever. She was alluding to the isolationist tendencies in the United States and other countries. The US administration of President Donald Trump intends to significantly reduce its funding to the United Nations.

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Baerbock's term as President of the UN General Assembly begins in September and lasts for one year. She is the fifth woman to hold the position since the UN was founded almost 80 years ago. All 193 UN member states are represented in the General Assembly. One of Baerbock's main tasks will be to organize the succession for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The Portuguese's second term ends at the end of 2026. Baerbock has stated that she wants to make the process "transparent and inclusive."