Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan recorded another strong showing in the race for United Nations secretary-general on Thursday, increasing her support in the eighth Security Council straw poll, while Turkey’s newly nominated candidate struggled in his debut and the established front-runners maintained their positions.

Thursday’s straw poll again used undifferentiated ballots, concealing whether votes came from the five permanent, veto-wielding members — the U.S., United Kingdom, France, Russia and China — or the council’s 10 elected members. The selection process has also been shaped by informal regional rotation norms and calls for the U.N. to select its first female leader. The latest result shows that the newcomers took nothing from the front-runners, while Grynspan appears to be consolidating support.

Grynspan, a former Costa Rican vice president who would become the first woman and first Jewish person to lead the U.N. if selected, had her best day of the race, receiving 12 encouragement votes and three discouragement votes, according to reported results of the confidential ballot. Her showing improved from the previous round, when she received 11 encouragement votes and four discouragement votes. 

However, the race is not yet settled as questions remain about whether she has overcome potential vetoes from permanent Security Council members. The last color-coded round, held Oct. 16, showed that Grynspan, International Atomic Agency head Rafael Grossi and Guyanese diplomat Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett had each drawn two discouragement votes from permanent members. Grynspan has since lowered her total discouragement count from five to three, but the latest results do not clarify whether any opposing permanent members have changed their stance. 

The results also suggest that the entry of two Middle Eastern candidates has done little to disrupt the established front-runners. Feridun Sinirlioğlu, a former Turkish foreign minister and U.N. ambassador nominated by Ankara last week, received just three encouragement votes and eight discouragement votes, with four members expressing no opinion. 

Sinirlioğlu’s nomination added diplomatic nuance to the race, given President Donald Trump’s relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who remains highly critical of the Jewish state, and the administration’s efforts to defend Israel at the U.N. His initial straw poll preceded his scheduled town hall with the General Assembly on Friday and an informal dialogue with the Security Council on Monday. 

Meanwhile, Lana Nusseibeh, the UAE’s former ambassador to the U.N., received seven encouragement votes, six discouragement votes and two “no opinion” votes — identical to her debut in the previous round.

Nusseibeh’s stagnant tally comes amid scrutiny over the UAE’s alleged support for the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group accused of committing atrocities in Sudan’s civil war. The UAE has denied providing military aid to the group. Nusseibeh has condemned RSF atrocities, expressed support for U.N. accountability efforts and stressed that she would serve independently of the Emirati government if selected.

The controversy has intensified following a New York Times report detailing findings from a confidential U.N. report concerning the UAE’s alleged role in recruiting and deploying Colombian mercenaries to support the RSF in Sudan’s civil war.

In addition, an investigation by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies found an online campaign opposing Nusseibeh’s candidacy had ties to individuals with Sudanese and Turkish interests, though it did not establish that either government directed the effort. It remains unclear how heavily the controversies have weighed on Security Council assessments.