Bangladeshi FM elected president of UN General Assembly

Bangladesh's top diplomat was elected president of the 81st UN General Assembly on Tuesday in a vote that, unusually, featured more than one candidate.

Khalilur Rahman won 99 votes in the secret ballot compared to 91 for Cypriot diplomat Andreas Kakouris. The president of the UN General Assembly is elected annually for a one-year term based on a geographical rotation, but there is rarely more than one candidate, who is usually accepted by unanimous consent. This year, the position was allocated to the Asia-Pacific region, which includes Cyprus.