Which among the following statements regarding the election of non-permanent members to the United Nations Security Council is/are correct ? 1. Five members coming from Africa and Asia, one from Eastern Europe, two from Latin America and two from Western Europe and other states 2. Six members are elected each year by the General Assembly for two year term Select the correct answer using the code given below :

The correct answer is A, 1 only. The ten non-permanent seats are shared by region as statement 1 says, but only five of them are filled each year, not six.

The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States) and ten non-permanent. The ten elected seats are allotted as five for African and Asian states, one for Eastern Europe, two for Latin America and the Caribbean, and two for Western Europe and other states. The General Assembly elects them for two-year terms, and a candidate needs a two-thirds majority of members present and voting. Since the terms are staggered, five seats come up for election every year, and a retiring member cannot be re-elected at once.

B is wrong because statement 2 is incorrect: five, not six, members are elected each year. C is wrong because only statement 1 is correct. D is wrong because statement 1 correctly gives the regional share of seats.

Exam tip: UNSC = 15 members; 5 permanent with veto, 10 elected for 2 years, 5 elected every year by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly.