1971 United Nations Secretary-General selection

1971 United Nations Secretary-General selection
← 1961 17 December 1971 – 21 December 1971 1976 →
 
Candidate Kurt Waldheim Carlos Ortiz de Rozas Max Jakobson
Country  Austria  Argentina  Finland
Best vote
11 / 15
12 / 15
9 / 15
Vetoes None Soviet Union Soviet Union
Round 3rd round
21 December 1971 		3rd round
21 December 1971 		3rd round
21 December 1971
UN Secretary-General before election

U Thant

 Elected UN Secretary-General

Kurt Waldheim

A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1971 to succeed U Thant, who was stepping down after two full terms. Three candidates received enough votes in the Security Council to be selected Secretary-General: Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, Kurt Waldheim of Austria, and Max Jakobson of Finland. However, all of the frontrunners were vetoed in the first two rounds of voting. In the third round, Waldheim accidentally escaped a triple-veto when three permanent members failed to coordinate their votes and all abstained. As a result, Kurt Waldheim was selected Secretary-General of the United Nations for a term starting 1 January 1972.