Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdullah Shahid has been elected president of the UN General Assembly.

Volkan Bozkir, the current assembly president, announced the 143-48 result of the secret ballot vote in favor of Shahid, with two of its 193 member nations not voting.

Bozkir, a Turkish diplomat and politician, said Shahid brings to the job “extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy”. He said he aims to bring “a presidency of hope” when he assumes the one-year post in September, just before the annual meeting of world leaders.