The UN General Assembly on Tuesday overwhelmingly elected Ecuador's Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces as its next president, making her only the fourth woman to lead the 193-member world body in its 73-year history.
She defeated another woman — Honduras' UN Ambassador Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake — by 128-62 with two abstentions in the secret-ballot vote.
Honduras's and Ecuador's diverging stances on a resolution condemning the US for moving its embassy to Jerusalem was thought to play a significant role in the vote, the first one contested in nearly 30 years, according to diplomats.
Ecuador supported it. Honduras was one of only nine countries that supported the United States and voted against the resolution, a decision that angered the Palestinians' many supporters. Honduras has also said it is considering following in the footsteps of the United States and moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
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