Guyana’s hopes of producing the next Secretary-General of the United Nations have become more challenging after Uganda officially nominated veteran diplomat Olara Otunnu, expanding the race to seven candidates.

The move comes just days before the UN Security Council begins informal straw polls that will determine which contenders remain in the running to succeed António Guterres when his second five-year term ends later this year.

Otunnu, 75, is a former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. His entry adds another experienced international figure to a contest that already includes Guyana’s former Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, who was nominated earlier this year.