UNP files, lot 59 D 237, “Slates”
Press Release SC/1637 Issued by the United Nations Secretariat, October 7, 1954, Regarding the 681st Meeting (AM) of the Security Council
Security Council Acts on Election of Judges to International Court
The Security Council this morning elected Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, at present Foreign Minister of Pakistan, as a Judge of the International Court of Justice to replace Sir Benegal N. Rau of India who died on 30 November 1953.
Mr. Zafrulla Khan will serve out the unexpired terms of Sir Benegal. The term expires on 5 February 1961.
The Security Council held only one ballot to fill this vacancy. Mr. Zafrulla Khan received 6 votes and Radhabinod Pal (India) 5.
The Security Council was informed by the President of the General Assembly that, in the election conducted in the Assembly, Mr. Zafrulla Khan had obtained the required majority, receiving—on the second ballot—33 votes as against 29 for Mr. Pal.
As Mr. Zafrulla Khan had obtained the required majority in both the Security Council and the General Assembly, he was duly elected to the International Court of Justice.
The Security Council then proceeded to the election of five Judges of the Court to replace Sir Arnold Duncan McNair (United Kingdom), Jose Gustavo Guerrero (El Salvador), Alejandro Alvarez (Chile), Jules Basdevant (France) and Levi Fernandes Carneiro (Brazil), whose terms of office expire on 5 February 1955.
The candidates obtaining an absolute majority were:
| Jules Basdevant (France) | —9 |
| Roberto Cordova (Mexico) | —9 |
| Jose G. Guerrero (El Salvador) | —7 |
| Hersch Lauterpacht (UK) | —8 |
| Lucio M. Moreno Quintana (Argentina) | —8 |
The same 5 candidates obtained the required majority in the election conducted in the General Assembly and have, therefore, been duly elected as Judges of the International Court of Justice. The term of office is nine years.
On the first ballot in the Council, Jules Basdevant (France) received 10 votes, Roberto Cordova (Mexico) 8, Jose Gustavo Guerrero (El Salvador) 7, Hersch Lauterpacht (UK) 9, Lucio M. Moreno Quintana (Argentina) 7 and Charles de Visscher (Belgium) 6.
Shigeru Kuriyama (Japan) received 2 votes. There was also one vote each for Dr. Ricardo J. Alfaro (Panama), Georges Sauser-Hall (Switzerland) and Raul Sepena Pastor (Paraguay).
[Page 600]As 6 candidates obtained the required majority of 6 votes or more for the five vacancies, the Security Council proceeded to a second ballot. On the second ballot the votes were as follows:
| Mr. Basdevant | —10 |
| Mr. Cordova | —8 |
| Mr. Guerrero | —8 |
| Mr. Lauterpacht | —8 |
| Mr. Quintana | —7 |
| Mr. de Visscher | —7 |
| Mr. Kuriyama | —2 |
| Mr. Pastor | —2 |
| Dr. Alfaro | —1 |
| Mr. Sauser-Hall | —1 |
As once again six candidates obtained the required majority for the five vacancies, the Security Council proceeded to a third ballot. The results of the third ballot were as follows:
| Mr. Basdevant | —9 |
| Mr. Cordova | —8 |
| Mr. Guerrero | —6 |
| Mr. Lauterpacht | —8 |
| Mr. Quintana | —7 |
| Mr. de Visscher | —7 |
| Mr. Kuriyama | —2 |
| Mr. Pastor | —2 |
| Dr. Alfaro | —2 |
Six candidates again obtained the required majority for the five vacancies and the Security Council, therefore, proceeded to the fourth ballot.
The fourth ballot had the following result:
| Mr. Basdevant | —9 |
| Mr. Cordova | —9 |
| Mr. Guerrero | —5 |
| Mr. Lauterpacht | —8 |
| Mr. Quintana | —8 |
| Mr. de Visscher | —5 |
| Mr. Kuriyama | —1 |
| Mr. Pastor | —2 |
| Dr. Alfaro | —2 |
| Mr. Sauser-Hall | —1 |
| Choucri Cardahi (Lebanon) | —1 |
As only four candidates obtained the required majority, the Security Council proceeded to a fifth ballot to elect a Judge to fill the fifth vacancy.
The results of the fifth and final ballot were as follows:
| Mr. Guerrero | —7 |
| Mr. de Visscher | —4 |
Mr. Guerrero thus obtained the absolute majority necessary.