Politics
UN elects five judges to International Court of Justice in extended vote
November 4, 2026 at 05:26 AM
Coverage
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 4 hours
AJAl Jazeera English
UN elects five judges to International Court of Justice amid record cases
(opens the publisher’s site)
يواليوم السابع
الأردني محمود حمود بين 5 قضاة تنتخبهم الأمم المتحدة لمحكمة العدل الدولية
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
British lawyer Dapo Akande elected to UN top court in big diplomatic win
(opens the publisher’s site)The United Nations elected five judges to the International Court of Justice for nine-year terms, with the fifth seat decided after additional rounds of voting.
- The General Assembly and Security Council elected Dapo Akande, François Alabrune, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, Rena Lee and Phoebe Okowa, with terms beginning February 6, 2027.
- Okowa took the final seat after several rounds, following Marcelo Vázquez-Bermúdez's withdrawal when the two bodies backed different candidates.
- ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa told the General Assembly on October 29 that 24 contentious cases are currently pending before the court.
- Akande said he pledges to serve with independence and to decide cases on the basis of a faithful and impartial application of the law.