UNITED NATIONS, Sept 18 (Reuters) - An informal poll by the United Nations Security Council on Friday placed former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as the narrow frontrunner in the contest to become the next U.N. secretary-general, diplomats and other sources close to the process said.
It was the third time the 15-member Security Council had voted behind closed doors in the straw poll. The first secret poll in July showed Grynspan narrowly ahead and the second vote last month placed Guyana's UN Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett as the new narrow frontrunner.
Eight candidates are vying to succeed Antonio Guterres, who steps down at the end of this year after two five-year terms. Ultimately the five council veto powers - the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain - need to agree on a candidate.
The UN Security Council will formally recommend a candidate to the General Assembly for election as the 10th UN Secretary-General. The approval by the 193-member General Assembly has long been seen as a rubber stamp.
In the straw polls, which are expected to continue for several more rounds, Security Council members are asked on secret ballots if they "encourage," "discourage" or have "no opinion" on candidates.
Grynspan received nine encourage, five discourage and one no opinion, Birkett received eight encourage, six discourage and one no opinon, diplomats and sources close to the process said.
Uganda's Olara Otunnu, a diplomat and former U.N. under-secretary-general, received five encourage, seven discourage and three no opinion, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, the high-profile director general of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, received five encourage, eight discourage and two no opinion, while Senegal's former president Macky Sall received five encourage, nine discourage and one no opinion.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom, Olivia Le Poidevin, Emma Farge, Francois Murphy and Michelle Nichols; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Chizu Nomiyama )
