Germany lost a vote on Wednesday for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Speaking to the press after the vote, Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called the outcome “a real disappointment.” 

Germany loses out to Austria and Portugal

Germany needed a two-thirds majority of votes in the wider UN General Assembly to land a temporary seat on the UNSC for the next two years. 

Germany was in competition with Austria and Portugal for two seats in the “Western Europe” and Others” group. Both Austria and Portugal won those seats as they had received more votes than Germany.

Portugal received 134 votes, whereas Austria had received 131. Germany, meanwhile, had garnered 104 votes.

Zimbabwe and Trinidad and Tobago were each elected unopposed to seats reserved for their respective regions on the UN Security Council.

The central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan was also elected to a seat, winning out against the Philippines.

Germany, a top UN contributor financially, had pushed hard for UNSC seat

DW’s Benjamin Alvarez Gruber, who was in New York for the vote, noted that Germany is the second-largest contributor to the UN.

Ahead of the vote, foreign minister Wadephul said Germany has a “good offer” and was ready to take responsibility on the important committee, which is tasked with peacekeeping and international security.

Wadephul had advocated for reform of the UN Security Council to advocate a stronger role for global south nations.  

However, Alvarez Gruber said that Russia waged an intense lobbying campaign against Germany’s UN Security Council bid.  Germany is a key supporter of Ukraine as it fends off Russia’s ongoing invasion.

How did German leaders react to the failed bid?

After the vote, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: “We applied with conviction. We did not achieve our goal.” 

“This result does not alter the tasks we face at the United Nations. Germany remains a reliable pillar of the multilateral system,” he said. 

Jürgen Hardt, a member of the German Bundestag who serves as the foreign policy spokesperson for the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group, said it was “regrettable” that Germany failed to get the Security Council seat.

The environmentalist Greens, meanwhike, blamed Wadephul and Merz for the failed bid, saying the German government has not done enough on climate protection. The Greens also pointed out the German government’s cuts to development aid.

Germany was last on the UN Security Council for the years of 2019 and 2020.

The UN Security Council is the only body in the UN whose resolutions are legally binding.

The Security Council consists of 15 of the 193 member states. The US, UK, China, Russia, and France are the five permanent members of the council and have veto power.

Edited by: Zac Crellin