The UN General Assembly's president says he is scheduling another round of question-and-answer sessions with candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon as secretary-general on June 7.
Mogens Lykketoft told reporters on Tuesday he expects at least two new candidates to be nominated soon, and urged all others interested to have their names put forward before next month's meeting with the assembly's 193 member states.
Nine candidates were interviewed last month, including former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark.
Lykketoft refused to name the expected new candidates, but diplomats have named three other likely contenders - Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, Argentine Foreign Minister Susanna Malcorra, and Alicia Barcena, a Mexican who heads the UN Economic Commission for Latin America.
Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd has not officially announced he will run for the position, however he has not ruled out making a bid.
Under the UN Charter, the secretary-general is chosen by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council.
