It was the Foreign Ministry’s eagerly awaited application for a fourth term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council – and the result was surprisingly clear: In the secret vote on two available seats for the group of states of “Western Europeans and Others” in the UN General Assembly, Portugal received 134 votes, Austria 131 and Germany 104. A two-thirds majority of 127 was required for the seat in the 2027-2028 period 190 votes were cast, so a runoff election was not necessary.
