New York:The UN General Assembly and Security Council have successfully elected five judges to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for nine-year terms starting on February 6, 2027. This election process concluded on Tuesday.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the newly elected judges are Dapo Akande from the United Kingdom, Francois Alabrune from France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud from Jordan, Rena Lee from Singapore, and Phoebe Okowa from Kenya.

Securing a seat on the ICJ requires candidates to achieve an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council as per the court's statute. In the initial round of voting, Akande, Alabrune, Hmoud, and Lee obtained the necessary majorities in both bodies, leading to their election.

However, the fifth seat was more contested, necessitating additional voting rounds. Marcelo Vazquez-Bermudez of Ecuador initially achieved the required majority in the Security Council but did not secure enough votes in the General Assembly and eventually withdrew from contention. This led to Okowa's eventual backing by both UN bodies, finalizing the election of the five judges.

The newly elected judges will fill the positions of the current court members whose terms will expire on February 5, 2027. Located in The Hague, Netherlands, the ICJ is the principal judicial body of the UN, tasked with resolving legal disputes between states and providing advisory opinions on legal questions presented by authorized UN entities.