US, China and Russia back ‘Europe’s Trump’ for UN chief ... Europe scoffs

[Financial News] A claim has emerged that the United States, China and Russia support former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the post of UN secretary-general, which he would take up next year. European countries reacted cynically to the claim.
The US-based Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing people familiar with the matter on the 26th (local time), claimed that the US government had urged Orbán to run for UN secretary-general and that China and Russia also supported the move.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who took office in 2017, secured a second term in 2021 after his initial five-year term and will step down on December 31 this year. A UN secretary-general may serve one additional term. The Security Council selects a single candidate, who is then confirmed by a yes-or-no vote in the UN General Assembly.
The UN is currently conducting the process to select its next secretary-general from among seven candidates. A candidate must receive the support of at least nine Security Council members to be recommended, and none of the five permanent members—the United States, China, Britain, France and Russia—can exercise its veto. The Council has held six rounds of straw polls, but no clear consensus has emerged.
An anonymous US official who spoke to the WSJ invoked US President Donald Trump’s political slogan, “Make America Great Again (MAGA).” The official described Orbán as “the candidate the MAGA camp dreams of,” adding that he was “ideologically suitable, knows how to wield power in a hostile environment, and would not be intimidated by the UN establishment.”
Orbán served as Hungary’s prime minister from 1998 to 2000 and returned to the post in 2010, leading the country for about 16 years until last April. Since coming to power, he has promoted right-wing nationalism and opposed Islam, refugees and LGBTQ people. He has also violated EU rules, including by bringing the judiciary under his control. In 2022, Orbán called for Hungary to leave the EU and claimed that both the EU and Ukraine, which receives EU support, were Hungary’s “enemies.” At the same time, he maintained close ties with Russia. Trump said he supported Orbán in Hungary’s general election last April.
According to the WSJ, Orbán responded positively to the US urging him to run for UN secretary-general. However, Orbán’s camp says he will run only if his selection as the candidate is guaranteed. The WSJ predicted that Trump and US Vice President JD Vance would publicly endorse Orbán after the US midterm elections on the 3rd of next month.
A US official claimed that Orbán “had no trouble securing the votes of eight countries on the Security Council and could also win support from 10 countries.”
Britain and France could still veto Orbán. According to US political news outlet Politico on the 26th, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said of the possibility of Orbán becoming a candidate for UN secretary-general, “Until recently, he was a candidate for president of the European Commission,” adding, “The speculation that he could become a UN secretary-general candidate sounds just as ridiculous as the rumors about Orbán becoming president of the European Commission.”
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media platform X: “If Orbán becomes UN secretary-general, I am sure he will find very useful the veto-wielding and blackmail tactics he has honed over the years by derailing major EU decisions.”


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