EU member Slovenia overwhelmingly defeats Moscow ally Belarus for a seat on the UN Security Council

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — In an election reflecting strong global opposition to Russia’s war against Ukraine, NATO and European Union member Slovenia has overwhelmingly defeated Moscow’s close ally Belarus for a seat on the U.N. Security Council starting in January. The race between the two members of the U.N.’s East European group was the only contested election for five seats on the U.N.’s most powerful body. It was closely watched because of the two countries’ opposing views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In Tuesday’s secret ballot election in the 193-member General Assembly, Slovenia received 153 votes while Belarus got 38 votes. The four other countries elected were Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone and South Korea.