The South Korean Foreign Minister, Ban Ki-Moon, has won the support of all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in his campaign to become the next UN Secretary General.
Mr Ban had been the favourite to succeed Kofi Annan in the post at the end of the year.
But until the latest straw poll vote it had not been known whether his candidacy might be vetoed by one of the UNSC's five permanent members.
The runner-up in the ballot, Shashi Tharoor from India, has now withdrawn his candidacy and has congratulated Mr Ban.
