UNITED NATIONS, United States, Oct 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Fourteen countries, including some with spotty rights records like Egypt and Vietnam, were elected Tuesday to serve on the UN Human Rights Council in non-competitive elections denounced by advocacy groups.

The council is the United Nations' main organ for defending human rights, through a 47-seat body headquartered in Geneva. Members serve three-year terms, with seats renewed partially every year.

They are allocated by major regions of the world, and each region in general selects its own candidates, which are then usually approved by the General Assembly.

On Tuesday, 14 countries were up for election for the period 2026-2028 and they all went through in a secret-ballot vote by the assembly.

There were four from Africa (Angola, Egypt, Mauritius and South Africa), four from the Asia-Pacific region (India, Iraq, Pakistan, Vietnam), two from eastern Europe (Estonia and Slovenia), two from Latin America (Chile and Ecuador) and two from western Europe (Italy and Britain).

"Uncompetitive elections undermine the Human Rights Council's reputation and work, making it possible for less than ideal candidates to sail through and stall human rights initiatives," said Madeleine Sinclair, director of the International Service for Human Rights office in New York.

"Noncompetitive UN votes permit abusive governments like Egypt and Vietnam to become Human Rights Council members, threatening to make a mockery of the Council," Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said before the vote.

The previous two years there were more candidates than available seats per region on the UN panel.

This resulted in Saudi Arabia failing last year in its bid to gain a seat, and Russia the year before unsuccessfully recovering the place it was stripped of in 2022 after it invaded Ukraine.