The UN General Assembly elected Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland as non permanent members of the UN Security Council on the 9th. The non permanent members of the Security Council shall be elected by secret ballot by the general assembly of the United Nations. Candidates shall obtain at least two-thirds of the total votes of the general assembly before being elected. None of the five countries participating in the election had any competitors. Mozambique won 192 votes, Ecuador 190 votes, Switzerland 187 votes, Malta 185 votes and Japan 184 votes, all of which were successfully elected. Among the five newly elected non permanent members of the Security Council, Mozambique and Switzerland were elected for the first time, and Japan was elected for the 12th time. The five countries will succeed India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway for a two-year term beginning on January 1, 2023. The UN Security Council has 15 members, including China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States as permanent members, and the other 10 as non permanent members. The term of office of the non permanent members is two years, and five of them are replaced each year after election. They cannot be re elected. The 10 non permanent seats are allocated by Region: 3 in Africa; Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Western Europe and other regions; 1 in Eastern Europe. The Security Council, which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security, is one of the principal organs of the United Nations. (Xinhua News Agency)