UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres was formally appointed as U.N. secretary-general on Thursday, replacing Secretary-General Ban ki-Moon of South Korea when his term ends later this year.
Guterres, 67, was widely praised as a good choice for the post. He was Portugal's prime minister from 1992 to 2002 and led the U.N.'s refugee agency for nearly a decade ending in 2015. He will be sworn in on January 1.