United Nations, June 4 : Austria, Kyrgyzstan, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected non-permanent members of the UN Security Council on Wednesday for a two-year term.

The election marked the first time Kyrgyzstan would serve on the Security Council.

The newly elected members will replace the outgoing non-permanent members -- Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia -- and assume their seats on January 1, 2027, and serve until December 31, 2028.

A candidate must obtain the support of two-thirds of the UN member states present and voting at the General Assembly session in order to secure a non-permanent seat on the Security Council, regardless of whether the candidacy is contested or not. A minimum of 129 positive votes is required to win a seat if all 193 member states are present and voting. Member states that abstain are considered not voting.

There were seven candidates for the five seats available this year. Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe were elected in the first round of voting, reports Xinhua news agency.

Three more rounds of voting were held before Kyrgyzstan defeated the Philippines in a contested race.

The Security Council has 15 members, five of which are permanent: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States. The 10 non-permanent seats of the council are allocated by geographic region, with five replaced each year.

The five newly elected countries represent the African, Asia-Pacific, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European and Other groups. The Eastern European group is not contesting this year, as its seat, currently held by Latvia through 2027, comes up for election every other year.

The Security Council is considered the most powerful body of the United Nations. The council, tasked with maintaining international peace and security, can make legally binding decisions and has the power to impose sanctions and authorise the use of force.

/IANS