The Security Council has 15 seats, filled by five permanent members and ten non-permanent members. Each year, half of the non-permanent members are elected for two-year terms.[1][2] A sitting member may not immediately run for re-election.[3]
In accordance with the rules whereby the ten non-permanent UNSC seats rotate among the various regional blocs into which UN member states traditionally divide themselves for voting and representation purposes,[4] the five available seats are allocated as follows:
Two for African countries, one of which being the "Arab Swing Seat" (held by Togo and Zaire)
To be elected, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of those present and voting. If the vote is inconclusive after the first round, three rounds of restricted voting shall take place, followed by three rounds of unrestricted voting, and so on, until a result has been obtained. In restricted voting, only official candidates may be voted on, while in unrestricted voting, any member of the given regional group, with the exception of current Council members, may be voted on.
Representation of Grenada
The United States having initiated Operation Urgent Fury just six days prior to the election, questions were raised as to the legitimacy of the Grenadian delegation. The United States, supported by several other delegations, formally objected to the presence of the Grenadian delegate, stating that Sir Paul ScoonGovernor-General of Grenada had informed the Secretary-General that no one was authorised to represent Grenada before the UN and that no credentials for the Thirty-eighth session of the General Assembly had been presented by Grenada.[6]
The Grenadian delegate responded by stating that last he heard, Scoon was in American custody and that his delegation was treating him as a potential hostage. He added that "should someone want to make [him] leave the room, they would have to resort to the use of force."[6]
Endorsed candidates
Syria, speaking for the Asian Group, formally endorsed India.[6]
Result
Voting was conducted on a single ballot. Ballots containing more states from a certain region than seats allocated to that region were invalidated. The first and only round of balloting was held on 31 October 1983 at the 40th plenary meeting of the General Assembly. There were 155 total votes received.[7]
1234U.N. General Assembly, 38th session. Provisional Verbatim Record of the Fortieth Meeting Held at Headquarters, New York, On Monday, 31 October 1983. (A/38/PV.40) 31 October 1983
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Algeria (African Group)
Barbados (GRULAC)
