The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Liberia, along with Bahrain, Colombia, Latvia, have been elected to serve as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, with two-year terms beginning in January 2026.
In the African and Asia-Pacific group, Bahrain received 186 votes, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) garnered 183 votes, and Liberia received 181 votes, with one country abstaining.
In the Eastern European group, Latvia received 178 votes while 10 countries abstained.
In the Latin America and the Caribbean group, Colombia received 180 votes, with 8 countries abstaining.
They will serve through the end of 2027 on the UN body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
They will join the five non-permanent members elected last year – Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama, and Somalia – who will serve through 2026. The incoming members will succeed Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, and Slovenia, whose terms end in December 2025.
Liberia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, shared a unifying message, "We have gathered here as representatives of diverse cultures and perspective, but we are united in our shared purpose to forge a more just and equitable world."
The DRC's Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told reporters “We will most certainly come to the Security Council bearing the experience of a country that knows what it is like to have decades of conflict, that has a thorough understanding of the challenges of peacekeeping operations and protection of civilians issues, as well as the convergence between conflict, natural resources and environmental changes," Kayikwamba Wagner told reporters. "
The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – who hold veto power, and ten non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for staggered two-year terms.
Elections are held annually by secret ballot, with seats allocated by regional group. Candidates must secure a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly to be elected.