Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
António Guterres steps down as UN Secretary-General at the end of the year, and the race to replace him has run on quietly.
For months the search has produced a cluster of candidates but no clear favorite, with the informal regional rotation favoring a Latin American pick. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan has placed first in a recent Security Council straw poll.
That picture shifted on Sunday. According to an opinion piece from the editorial board at The Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has urged former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán to enter the race as a joint candidate of the United States, Russia, and China, citing sources in all three governments.
A State Department official told the Journal that eight Security Council votes could be lined up “comfortably,” with 10 within reach.
Warsaw pushes back within hours
Poland’s response came on Monday morning. Deputy Foreign Minister Ignacy Niemczycki told Polish public radio that Orbán “is not a person who represents European values.” Niemczycki added that Warsaw had received no notice through diplomatic channels and treated the Journal report as unverified media speculation.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk went further. Asked about the report, Tusk compared the idea to an earlier rumor about Orbán heading the European Commission, telling Politico that the suggestion was “just as funny as that first rumor.”
A candidate out of office, under scrutiny
Orbán lost power in April after a landslide defeat to Péter Magyar’s center-right Tisza party, ending 16 years as Hungary’s prime minister, during which he maintained warm ties with Vladimir Putin and frequently clashed with EU allies over sanctions against Moscow.
Two of his former ministers and the ex-governor of Hungary’s National Bank have since been detained in corruption probes, the Hungarian Conservative noted, though Orbán himself has not been charged.
The nomination still has to clear the UN Security Council, where any of the five permanent members can veto. Britain and France, which hold the two European permanent seats, have not publicly weighed in.
The Journal reported that any public endorsement from President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance is likely to be held until after the US midterm elections in November.
