. United Nations (UN) Security Council is going to hold an informal closed-door ‘straw poll’ ballots to assess support for the seven candidates currently vying to become the next head of the UN.

According to Reuters, the candidates are from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Senegal and Uganda.  The news elected chief will replace Antonio Guterres of Portugal when steps down at the end of this year after two five-year terms.

As the UN is already under immense pressure from various bureaucratic agencies, the new successor must face the gruesome task of reinstating the declining stature of UN and revitalizing its crisis.

Straw polls are informal, non-binding votes conducted among the Security Council’s 15 members. They are asked whether they “encourage,” “discourage” or have “no opinion” on each candidate.

The ballots are secret and only Council members are present during the exercise.

There is no clear front-runner and historical precedent suggests multiple rounds of polling could continue through the summer and conclude in late September or early October. The process could take longer if no consensus candidate emerges.

The current candidates are Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog; former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet; former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan; former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa; former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett; former Senegalese President Macky Sall; and Ugandan diplomat Olara ⁠Otunnu, who entered the race last week.

Other candidates can still join the contest.