PERSPECTIVE| FES NEW YORK Ban Ki-moon Successor A Democratic UN Starts With a Democratic Election of its Leader VOLKER LEHMANN June 2015 n The process to select the UN Secretary-General(SG) is outdated, non-transparent, and dominated by the Permanent Five Members of the Security Council(P5). They use their veto power in secret negotiations, until they can agree on a compromise candidate who is then recommended to the General Assembly(GA) for rubber­stamp approval. n A global movement of civil society groups, former political leaders, and UN Member States has called for a substantial overhaul of the process. They demand, inter alia: a transparent nomination procedure; a formal list of selection criteria based on merit, gender balance, and ethnic and geographic diversity of candidates; public debates; at least two candidates for the GA to choose from; and a single, but longer term for the SG. n In the run-up to the end of Ban Ki-moon’s term on 31 December 2016, the P5’s main interest is to maintain the status quo. Yet by ignoring the reform movement, the P5 run the risk that the election of the SG may become a lightning rod for the UN Member States’ broader frustration with the P5’s overwhelming dominance. n Japan and Germany should follow the other two so-called G4 states — Brazil and India — which have already thrown their weight behind a reform of the SG selection process. This would benefit their reputation as constructive UN actors and, if suc­cessful, increase credibility and effectiveness of the global organization.