Bangladesh wins UNGA presidency, defeats Cyprus in vote

Bangladesh has secured the presidency of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman defeating Cyprus' candidate in a closely contested election held at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

Dr Rahman won 99 votes against 91 secured by Cyprus' candidate, Ambassador Andreas S. Kakouris, in a secret ballot conducted in the General Assembly Hall. A total of 190 member states participated in the vote.

Ambassador Kakouris brought more than four decades of diplomatic and administrative experience in multilateral and bilateral affairs to the race.

The election for the prestigious post was held at 10am New York time, with the results announced around 9pm Bangladesh time after the completion of vote counting.

The election was conducted in accordance with Rule 30 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly. Under the UN's established regional rotation system, the President of the 81st session was elected from the Asia-Pacific Group.

Bangladesh last held the position in 1986-87, when then foreign minister Humayun Rasheed Chowdhury served as President of the 41st session of the General Assembly. Four decades later, the country has reclaimed the influential post.

The 81st session of the UNGA will open on September 8, 2026, while the high-level General Debate is scheduled to begin on September 22.

The presidency rotates annually among the UN's five regional groups — Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Western Europe and Others. The President is elected directly by member states, with each country holding one vote.

The current President-elect of the 80th session is former German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock, who was elected in June 2025 with 167 votes.