Race to be next UN secretary general could rest on US and China trade-offs

Growing field of hopefuls face fraught task of achieving consensus from five permanent security council members

Numerous last-minute entrants in the race to become the new UN secretary general are being discussed amid concerns that the world powers may not be able to agree a successor to António Guterres from the current field of seven candidates.

Three rounds of secret ballots have so far not produced an obvious frontrunner, with probably only three candidates regarded as still having a realistic chance of gathering the required support.