The United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council will meet on Monday for a fresh round of voting for a seat at the International Court of Justice, PTI reported on Friday.
Indian nominee Dalveer Bhandari and Britain’s Christopher Greenwood are contesting for the last seat at the United Nations’ principal judicial wing. Over the last two weeks, 11 rounds of voting have been held for this seat, but it has not produced a winner.
The General Assembly’s President Miroslav Lajcak will preside over the election on Monday. According to the election procedure, voting would take place simultaneously in both the assembly and the council, and a candidate must gain majority in both to be declared elected.
During the last 11 rounds of election, Bhandari enjoyed a nearly two-thirds majority in the Assembly while Greenwood received nine votes against Bhandari’s five votes in the council. Both Bhandari and Greenwood are seeking re-election to the court.
Bhandari was first elected to a seat in the International Court of Justice in April 2012 during simultaneous balloting in both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. His current term finishes in February 2018. If Bhandari is re-elected, he will serve an additional nine-year term as an ICJ judge.
India filed Bhandari’s re-nomination with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in June.
During his first term, Bhandari had delivered opinions in 11 cases covering subjects such as maritime disputes, whaling in Antarctica and genocide. He was a High Court judge for 20 years as well as a senior judge of the Supreme Court.
The International Court of Justice comprises 15 judges elected by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. No two ICJ judges can be of the same nationality.
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