Guatemala Confident Against Venezuela For UN Seat

Guatemala’s president, Oscar Berger, has said he is confident that Guatemala will win out against Venezuela to secure the second Latin American seat in the non-permanent Security Council at the United Nations. The seat becomes free next year when Argentina ends its two-year term. The successful candidate country will need to garner a two-thirds majority of votes from the 192 UN General Assembly members. Although voting is secret, the US has openly rejected Venezuela’s bid and is supporting Guatemala’s candidacy. Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chávez, is currently on a world tour in what, some say, is a public relations drive to secure votes. Peru holds the region’s second seat for another year.