Viktor Orbán is absent from the United Nations (U.N.) list of candidates for its next secretary-general, although the Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 25 that the Trump administration had approached him about the role. Hungary’s government said Péter Magyar was elected prime minister on May 9, 2026.
The Journal said Orbán was receptive but had not decided whether to seek the post. It reported that U.S. officials thought China and Russia might support him, but cited no public pledges from either government.
An unnamed U.S. State Department official estimated to the Journal that eight of the Security Council’s 15 members might back Orbán, with the figure potentially reaching 10. The official called him a “dream candidate for MAGA conservatives,” the Journal reported.
The estimate is not a recorded vote. The Security Council has 15 members, five of them permanent: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. The council recommends a candidate to the General Assembly, which appoints the secretary-general.
The selection process began with a joint letter to member states on Nov. 25, 2025; a member state must nominate a person for that person to become a formal candidate. The U.N.’s current public list includes Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, nominated by the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 21, and several other nominees; Orbán is not listed.
The current secretary-general’s term ends Dec. 31, 2026, and the next term begins Jan. 1, 2027. Nusseibeh’s interactive dialogue with member states is scheduled for Oct. 27 at 3 p.m. EDT. At an Oct. 23 briefing, a General Assembly spokesperson said he did not know when the next Security Council straw poll would be held.
