Kurt Waldheim Javier Pérez de Cuéllar A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1981.
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was selected for a term beginning on 1 January 1982, becoming the first Secretary-General from Latin America.
Waldheim's defeat also confirmed the informal two-term limit on the office of Secretary-General, and Pérez de Cuéllar's selection firmly established the principle of regional rotation.
In the 1976 selection, China voted for Luis Echeverría Álvarez of Mexico and cast one symbolic veto against Waldheim.
[8] However, Salim was opposed by the Reagan administration in the United States, which regarded him as an anti-American radical who was hostile to South Africa and supported Palestinian statehood.
"[7] On 12 November 1981, U.S. representative Jeane Kirkpatrick checked into the hospital after suffering chest pains on a flight between Washington and New York City.
The Security Council could not decide on a secretary-general, but the Third World countries would not nominate any other candidates as long as Salim remained in the race.
[20] Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, who had defeated Waldheim in the 1971 selection but was vetoed by the Soviet Union, expressed his opinion that no Secretary-General should serve more than two terms.
[6] Even Waldheim's supporters criticized him for allowing his personal ambition to damage the prestige of the Secretary-Generalship by seeking a third term.
Although Otunnu had led the campaign to select Salim, the new Security Council President sought to break the deadlock by asking both candidates to withdraw.
Pérez de Cuéllar, a dark horse candidate who stayed in Lima during the selection and did not campaign for office,[24] became the clear favorite.
The Security Council rallied around the favorite and selected Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru to be Secretary-General for a five-year term beginning 1 January 1982.
China's record 16 vetoes of Kurt Waldheim also established it as a power broker at the United Nations, after spending its first ten years on the sidelines.
[13] A diplomat from the Third World explained, "China was allowed to save face but it was not in a position, in the end, to modify the prevailing order.
After 35 years of U.N. Secretaries-General from the Third World, the 2016 selection was won by António Guterres of Portugal, who became the first European Secretary-General since Kurt Waldheim.
As Javier Pérez de Cuéllar's first term came to a close in 1986, the United Nations faced mounting financial difficulties.
After the United States Congress cut the U.S. contribution to the U.N., Pérez de Cuéllar said that he would only serve another term if the Reagan administration would agree to pay the U.S. dues.
Pérez de Cuéllar, who had undergone quadruple-bypass surgery in August 1986, said, "I don't have to make a sacrifice and die with my ship.
"[29] On 2 October 1986, ambassadors from the permanent members of the Security Council met with Pérez and drafted him to serve another term.
On 10 October 1986, the Security Council voted unanimously to select Javier Pérez de Cuéllar for a second term as secretary-general.