ICJ Seat Goes to Jordan’s UN Ambassador Mahmoud Hmoud
Jordanian diplomat Mahmoud Hmoud was elected Tuesday to serve on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), filling the vacancy left by Nawaf Salam of Lebanon, who stepped down in January after becoming prime minister. Hmoud will complete Salam’s term, which ends on February 5, 2027.
Hmoud, Jordan’s ambassador to the United Nations since 2021, was the only candidate in the race. He received unanimous backing in both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, securing all 178 votes cast in the former and all 15 in the latter.
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His legal and diplomatic background spans decades. From 1999 to 2018, Hmoud held multiple terms as legal advisor and director of the Legal Department at Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as ambassador to Singapore between 2018 and 2021, and was a longstanding member of the International Law Commission, where he chaired the 72nd session in 2021.
Under the ICJ’s rules, judges are elected through separate but simultaneous votes in the Security Council and the General Assembly. A candidate must win an absolute majority in both bodies.
The ICJ, headquartered in The Hague, is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. It is composed of 15 judges elected to nine-year terms. Judges must come from different countries and represent the world’s major legal systems. When a seat becomes vacant due to death or resignation, a special election is held to fill the remainder of the term.
