An informal vote is being held in the United Nations Security Council today (Thursday, July 30) to select the new Secretary-General.

This secret ballot will assess the level of support among member states for the seven candidates currently in the running.

Current Secretary-General António Guterres will step down at the end of this year after serving two consecutive five-year terms.

Guterres is a citizen of Portugal. He could be succeeded by a candidate from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Senegal, or Uganda.

This informal Security Council vote is known as a "straw poll." Representatives from the 15 member states of the Security Council can express three possible views regarding each candidate: "encourage," "discourage," or "no opinion."

Such votes typically take place over multiple rounds. The process is expected to conclude by the end of September or early October, though finding a consensus on an acceptable candidate could take longer.