US wins seat on UN rights council in uncontested election

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States has won a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council that former president Donald Trump denounced and quit. Thursday’s election for 18 seats in all was uncontested and criticized for guaranteeing spots to countries with abysmal rights records. The 193-member U.N. General Assembly elected all 18 candidates proposed by the world organization’s five regional groups. Benin was the top vote-getter. The U.S. got the second-lowest vote. The U.N. director for Human Rights Watch said the absence of competition “makes a mockery of the word `election.’” The 18 countries will serve three-year terms starting Jan. 1.