In a surprising development, Canada withdrew from the race for a Security Council after gaining only 78 votes on the second ballot.

In the first round, Germany won one of two seats in the Western European and Others group, with 128 votes out of 191. Portugal came second with 128, and Canada received 114 votes.

On the second ballot, Portugal received 113 votes to Canada's 78. A majority of 128 votes was required to win, so a third ballot was required despite Canada's sudden withdrawal. The decision appeared to be an effort to save face, but it will likely be seen as a serious political setback for the Conservative government.

Crawford Kilian is a contributing editor of The Tyee.