Maldives has lost the United Nations (UN) Security Council seat as the non-permanent representative of the Asia Pacific region.

On Friday, the United Nations (UN) held a plenary meeting to elect five non-permanent members of the Security Council.

Members require the vote of two-thirds of the UN member states in order to win the seat. Indonesia won the seat for a fourth term on Friday with 144 of the 193 votes, while Maldives received only 46.

Both countries had run a fierce campaign for the seat. Maldives government officials had travelled to various countries to guarantee their votes and Maldives also established diplomatic relations with some African countries. The island nation had also held workshops for third-world and developing countries. Some opposition-aligned diplomats have also claimed that the Maldives government spent USD 500,000 for the campaign.

It is noteworthy that the current administration has refused to accept the conclusions of the UN branches and officials including calls to release political prisoners.

While the General Assembly comprises of five permanent members, the additional non-permanent 10 members are those that alter every two years.

Indonesia will represent the Asia Pacific region in the assembly from 2019 - 2020.

The 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly is set to begin in September.