New York: Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was elected as President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday.  He got 143 votes out of the 191 ballots cast, UN 76th session General body will commence in September. He will succeed Turkish diplomat Volkan Bozkir who was UNGA President for the 75th session that came amid the unprecedented Covid – 19 pandemic.

Afghanistan former Foreign Minister Dr Zalmai Rassoul got 48 votes, who contested against the Maldives Foreign Minister Shahid. India’s Permanent Mission to the UN in a tweet conveyed hearty congratulations to Maldives Foreign Minister @abdulla_shahid for the robust victory and for being elected as the 76th President of the UN General Assembly.

According to the established rules of regional rotation, the President of the 76th session of the General Assembly was to be elected from the Group of Asia-Pacific States.

The President of the General Assembly is elected every year by a secret ballot and requires a simple majority vote of the General Assembly. The Presidency of the General Assembly rotates among the five regional groups, the Group of Asian States, the Group of Eastern European States, the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Group of African States and the Western European and other States Group.

India had already voiced its strong support for Shahid’s candidature for President of the 76th session of the UNGA, saying he is best equipped to preside over the General Assembly of 193 nations of the world.