The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday voted to re-elect Ban Ki-moon to a second term as secretary-general of the United Nations beginning January 1, 2012 and ending December 31, 2016. There were no other candidates so the vote was by consensus. At its meeting of foreign ministers in Jeddah last week, the Cooperation Council For the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) endorsed Ban Ki-moon for a second term. Ban Ki-moon is the eight secretary-general of the United Nations. He succeeded Kofi Annan in 2007.