South Korean set to succeed Annan at UN
By Mark Turner 
October 2, 2006
The Financial Times
Original Source: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/fbdfe304-5262-11db-bce6-0000779e2340.html
Ban Ki-moon, the South Korean foreign minister, emerged as almost certain to become the United Nations’ next secretary general after winning close to unanimous support in the Security Council.
In what is now expected to be the Council’s last straw poll, which for the first time differentiated between the five veto-wielding powers and the 10 elected members, Mr Ban won 14 ‘encouragements’, and one ‘no opinion’, with all permanent members in favour.http://ads.ft.com/image.ng/site=ftcom&pos=mpusky&sec=3won&artid=3usarti \* MERGEFORMATINET
His closest competitor, India’s Shashi Tharoor, won 10 votes of encouragement and three votes against, including one veto, and on Monday evening conceded his race was over. The remaining candidates trailed far behind.
“It is clear he [Mr Ban] will be our next secretary general,” said Mr Tharoor after the vote. “The United Nations and the world has a stake in his success.” 
He said he would return to his post as the UN’s information chief, although adding that he considered “all options” open for his future.
Security Council ambassadors said they expected to hold a formal vote on Monday, and while it was theoretically conceivable that another candidate could still step forward, they said that was highly unlikely at this late stage.
John Bolton, the US ambassador to the UN, declared he was “very pleased with the outcome”, and thought there was not “much doubt” as to the final result. Kenzo Oshima, the Japanese ambassador, said there was a sense that “on the basis of today’s [Monday’s] ballot, the council is now ready.”
“On Monday we will be in a position to make a recommendation,” said Emyr Jones Parry, the British ambassador, referring to the formal process whereby the UN General Assembly is asked to rubber-stamp the outcome.
Some countries not on the Security Council, including Canada, had championed greater input from the assembly, including the possibility that it be given more than one candidate to choose from, but their proposals were rejected.
Mr Ban’s campaign, which began eight months ago, is likely to be studied closely by future aspirants for the post. His speeches focused on the need for UN reform, but studiously avoided any controversy – winning him few admirers in the media, or even amongst diplomats.
Until around a month ago, there had been a sense that another candidate would emerge and win, but Mr Ban surprised everyone by garnering widespread support in two undifferentiated straw polls.
When asked if the Korean represented a lowest common denominator outcome, Wang Guangya, China’s ambassador to the UN, called him “low key but very firm. He’s decisive. Sometimes Asians show their quality in a different way.”