Germany has suffered a major setback at the United Nations, failing for the first time to win a seat on the UN Security Council. In a vote held by the UN General Assembly on Wednesday in New York, the country was clearly beaten by its EU partners Portugal and Austria. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of the CDU acknowledged a "bitter defeat," while the opposition branded the outcome "embarrassing" and laid part of the blame on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, also of the CDU.
The result was read out by former Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, who currently serves as President of the UN General Assembly. Portugal came first in the opening round of voting with 134 votes, with Austria close behind on 131. Germany finished a distant third with just 104 votes and walked away empty-handed. Portugal and Austria will take their places as non-permanent members of the UN's most powerful body for a two-year term beginning in January.
Chancellor Merz sought to calm the waters, saying that while Germany had not reached its goal, it would remain "a reliable pillar of the multilateral system." Wadephul struck a similar note, stressing that Germany would continue to work for "peace and security" and for a capable United Nations even without a place at the council table.
In Vienna, the mood was very different. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker hailed what he described as a major diplomatic success for his country. He said Austria did not intend merely to watch from the sidelines as the world takes shape around it.
Sharp criticism of the federal government surfaced almost immediately in Berlin. Greens defence expert Agnieszka Brugger said responsibility for the embarrassing loss rested with Merz and Wadephul, arguing that the government had done too little to make its mark internationally - on climate protection, on defending the rules-based order, and on development cooperation, where funding has been heavily cut.
Criticism also came from within the governing coalition. Adis Ahmetovic, foreign-policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group, said the failure to win election was no mere mishap but a warning sign, describing it as a tangible foreign-policy setback. Jürgen Hardt, his counterpart in the CDU/CSU group, called the defeat regrettable and concluded that European partners need to coordinate their candidacies far earlier.
Wadephul had spent days in New York lobbying for the German bid and spoke afterwards of a genuine disappointment. He had warned in advance of a tough contest for the two seats allocated to the group of "Western European and other states." The minister said resistance to Germany's candidacy within the UN had come above all from Russia, because of Berlin's support for Ukraine.
Germany is one of the largest contributors to the UN budget and has sought a place in the organisation's top body at regular intervals since reunification - until now, always successfully. In total, the country has served as a non-permanent member of the Security Council six times, most recently in 2019 and 2020.
Daniel Forti, a UN expert at the International Crisis Group, pointed to Austria's especially committed campaign; Vienna had announced its candidacy back in 2011, years ahead of Germany. He suggested that some diplomats may have felt Austria and Germany were too alike to sit on the council at the same time.
For Portugal, observers in New York suggested its stance on the Middle East conflict may have worked in its favour. Like most UN member states, Portugal has recognised a Palestinian state, whereas Germany and Austria have not.
The UN Security Council is made up of 15 states in total. The five veto powers - the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia - are permanent members. The remaining ten seats are elected by the UN General Assembly, each for a two-year term.
Five non-permanent seats were up for election this time. Alongside the two EU countries Portugal and Austria, the African nation of Zimbabwe and the Caribbean state of Trinidad and Tobago prevailed, while the fifth seat, reserved for Asia, went to Kyrgyzstan.
The five newly elected countries will take up their seats on 1 January. They will join five others already serving on the body for the 2026 to 2027 period: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Latvia, Colombia and Bahrain.
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