Friday, September 29 2006 12:31 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

United Nations: India's nominee Shashi Tharoor again finished second behind South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon in an informal Security Council poll for UN secretary-general on Thursday but got two votes less than in the last straw poll.

Tharoor, currently UN undersecretary-general for public information dropped to eight encouragements on yesterday (Sept 28, 2006) from 10 earlier this month, with three negatives and two no opinions, diplomats said.

Ban too got one vote less finishing with 13 encouragements, one discourage and one no opinion. In the last vote on September 13, he received 14 encouragements and one no opinion.

But he was the only candidate to receive the minimum nine votes that will be needed for election in the formal vote expected next month.

Tharoor was followed by Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the only non-Asian and woman in the race, who received seven encouragements, six discouragements and two no opinions

The 15 Security Council ambassadors voted among seven candidates vying for the job to replace UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who leaves office on December 31.

Council members marked ballots to "encourage, discourage or express no opinion" as in the previous two informal polls. Each member could vote for more than one candidate.

In the formal vote, a candidate will need at least nine votes and no veto among the five permanent Security Council members. The selection must be confirmed by the 192-member UN General Assembly.