Guyana’s nominee for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations (U.N.), Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and the six other candidates received a vote of “discourage,” effectively a veto, from a permanent U.N. Security Council member in the latest informal poll, a diplomat said Friday.

The French  news agency, AFP, reported that U.S. media reports suggest Washington opposes all of the seven contenders in the race.

Even if a candidate earns the required nine votes from the 15 available in the Security Council, they must also avoid a veto by the five major powers — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States (U.S.) — which are deeply divided.

Once a candidate clears those bars, their name will go to the General Assembly of all U.N. members for confirmation.

The Associated Press reported that the three leading candidates — U.N. trade chief Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Grossi of Argentina, and Guyana’s U.N. ambassador Rodrigues Birkett — all received two red “discourage” votes, according to two diplomats who spoke on condition of anonymity because the poll was private.