CHAIRMAN: We now pass to the first item of the Agenda, Item 24, the Election of Council members. The reference document is C95/LIM/18, the General Committee report that we had approved on 24 October. It lists the names of all nominations received for election to the Council. Paragraph 4 of that document refers to the nominations of Burundi and Gabon and, in particular, to the need for confirmation of these candidatures before the election on the morning of 27 October, in other words today.
Will the Secretary-General inform us of the situation, please?
SECRETARY-GENERAL: I have been informed that the necessary payments have been received from Gabon and therefore Gabon is eligible to stand for election to the Council. Unfortunately, the necessary payments have not been received from Burundi. Therefore Burundi is not eligible to stand for election to the Council and its name will be cancelled from the ballot papers that voters will be receiving.
CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Mr Zenny, for this information.
The nomination of Gabon is confirmed; that of Burundi is not valid. May ask whether any country wishes to speak in the light of the information we have just heard?
Teleki RAMOTSOARI (Lesotho): This is good news about Gabon. Therefore, Lesotho would like to withdraw its candidature for the Council.
CHAIRMAN: Thank you, Lesotho, for your statement which greatly facilitates the task of the voters.
Does any other country wish to withdraw its candidature? If not, I would like to request Mr Zenny to explain to us the procedure for these elections.
SECRETARY-GENERAL: Mr Chairman, the Journal of the Conference for today includes on its front page a specimen ballot paper for the election of Council members with fictitious country names showing the manner in which the ballot papers, which will be distributed to you, are to be filled. The first phase will concern the election for those seats to be filled for the period November 1995 to 31 December 1998.
The Conference is requested to elect five Member Nations for Africa, three for Europe, five for Latin America and the Caribbean, two for the Near East and two for North America. For two regions, Asia and Southwest Pacific, there are no vacancies during this period.
We will conduct as many ballots as are necessary. Once this first phase is completed, we will proceed with the second phase, that is, the election for the period 1 January 1997 to November 1999. We will again conduct as many ballots as are necessary. In accordance with Rule XII paragraph 9(a) of the General Rules of the Organization, the election of Council members will be decided by secret ballot. This applies even when there are not more candidates than vacancies.
In order to vote, each delegation will receive ballot papers for each of the individual regions which seats are to be filled. Each ballot paper must be filled in accordance with the instructions contained thereon. The majority required is specified in paragraphs 3(a) and 3(b) of Rule XII of the General Rules of the Organization. I should remind that the number of vacancies varies from region to region and, in order to validate the ballot paper, a cross should be placed in the box against each one of the countries you wish to elect to the vacant seats, as shown in the specimen on today's Journal.
In accordance with Rule XII paragraph 11(a) of the General Rules of the Organization, each elector, unless he wholly abstains, will cast one vote for each elective place to be filled. Any ballot paper which is not in conformity with these requirements will be declared defective.
In accordance with Rule XII paragraph 4(c) of the General Rules of the Organization, any ballot paper left blank will be recorded as an abstention.
In accordance with paragraph 4(d) of this same Rule XII, ballot papers must carry no other notation or mark than those required for the purpose of indicating the vote. Any ballot paper carrying votes for more countries than there are vacancies to be filled will be considered defective. Similarly, any ballot paper carrying votes for less countries than there are vacancies will also be considered defective. What this means is that for a ballot paper to be a valid it will carry the same number of crosses as there are vacancies.
I take the liberty, honourable delegates, of reminding you that, in accordance with paragraph 9(f) of Rule XII of the General Rules of the Organization, any delegate who makes an error in completing his ballot paper may request a clean one from the Election Officer.
The first election will have as many ballots as are necessary. We will proceed along the same lines for the second election.
Finally, may I draw your attention to paragraph 14 of Rule XII of the General Rules of the Organization, which specifies that, once voting has commenced, no delegate or representative may interrupt the voting except to raise a point of order in connection with the voting.
CHAIRMAN: We will now vote to fill the Council seats for the period November 1995 to 31 December 1998. I should like to remind you that Rule XII of the General Rules of the Organization lays down that the quorum for this election is the majority of the Member Nations; that is 88. I am told that at least 91 delegations, increased now to 93, are present in the room.
Before we proceed to the vote, are there any questions? If not, I would like to appoint four tellers to assist the Secretariat in the election process. I am going to ask the delegations of New Zealand, the Netherlands, Kenya and Thailand to serve as tellers. If there are no comments, the Secretary-General will now commence the full voting procedures.
SECRETARY-GENERAL: Once the name of a delegate country is called by the Assistant Secretary-General, he or she is kindly requested to proceed to the voting booths where he or she will receive ballot papers from the elections personnel. Once voting is completed delegates are kindly requested to place their completed ballot papers in the wooden ballot box and return to their seats.
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Votación
CHAIRMAN: From the results it seems that we proceed and we will have a second ballot for two regions, Europe for the remaining two seats, and Latin America and the Caribbean to fill the three remaining seats.
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CHAIRMAN: While the votes are being counted the meeting will be adjourned and we will reconvene this afternoon at 2.30 when we will read the result. Before you leave, I want to congratulate the countries selected for the period November 1995 to 31 December 1998. At 2.30 we will announce the result of the second ballot.
The meeting rose at 12.45 hours.
La séance est levée à 12 h 45.
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.45 horas.
