UN Security Council: Germany left empty-handed
Germany's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2027 and 2028 has failed. In the secret ballot held in the General Assembly, Portugal and Austria secured the necessary two-thirds majorities with 134 and 131 votes respectively while only 104 states voted in favour of Germany's bid, which is customarily submitted every eight years. The media examine the reasons for this defeat.
Berlin's stance on Israel worked against it
For the Aargauer Zeitung, Germany has had an international image problem since the Gaza war:
“Until now, Germany, one of the UN's largest financial contributors, had always won elections to the Security Council. It was primarily those regions of the world grouped under the term 'Global South' that let Berlin down this time: many emerging and developing nations had taken offence at the German government's relatively restrained criticism of Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza. By contrast, Portugal was able to point to its critical stance towards Israel and Austria to its neutrality. The failed candidacy certainly represents a loss of prestige for Germany.”
Cash cow with little clout
Handelsblatt sees Germany's self-image as a country that enjoys a high level of trust worldwide crumbling:
“Germany of all countries, which likes to lecture the rest of the world on how there is no alternative to liberal Western democracies at every opportunity, is now unwelcome in the Security Council – the very body that, according to the UN Charter, is supposed to ensure peace and international security. This setback lays bare how Germany has overestimated its clout on the international stage. As many experts made clear in the run-up to the vote, the bid for the seat was doomed to fail. ... The bitter pill: Germany's voice carries less weight in the world than many are willing to admit – even though almost everywhere we are among the biggest financial contributors.”
No shame in losing a vote in this UN
Die Welt cares little about Germany's defeat:
“The United Nations has long since squandered its good reputation. It has become an organisation in which anti-Western, anti-Israeli and anti-democratic attitudes are often enough able to secure a majority. It has long since ceased to be a neutral peacemaker. ... The fact that the German government has reacted to the defeat not with anger but with composure is not a sign of weakness, but of wisdom. There is no shame in losing a vote within this United Nations. Of course, the time has come to speak openly about the structural imbalance that has long been a problem within the UN. And to consider how to remedy the problem.”
Austria deserved to win
The Salzburger Nachrichten pays tribute to Vienna's long-standing diplomatic efforts:
“Much suggests that this wasn't a vote against Germany, but in favour of Austria. ... Austria deservedly prevailed. It deserves this not only because the Foreign Ministry and the Austrian missions have put 15 years of work into the bid – consistently across various governments and foreign ministers. ... In its bid, Austria sought to give as many countries as possible – particularly smaller states – the feeling that it would better represent them on the Security Council. Apparently with success.”
Expression of a new reality
For Diena, Germany's electoral defeat is a symptom of a global divide:
“The decisive factor was the weariness with the confrontation between major geopolitical blocs and Western dominance, the manifestations of which are becoming increasingly unacceptable to the global majority, as non-Western countries are also known. They perceive Germany as a country whose foreign policy is inextricably linked to this agenda. So along with everything else, this vote reaffirms a new reality. The UN General Assembly is evolving into a platform on which the global majority expresses its dissatisfaction with Western policies, and Berlin's ambitions in this instance are coming up against that dissatisfaction.”