Nigeria was elected on Thursday to a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Assembly President Ali Treki announced the results, 186 votes for Nigeria, 184 for Gabon, 183 for Bosnia, 182 for Brazil and 180 for Lebanon as diplomats burst into applause. The country will serve two-year terms starting January 1, 2010 and will participate in decisions ranging from deploying United Nations peacekeepers to imposing sanctions.

British Ambassador John Sawers said "We have two large countries in Brazil and Nigeria who carry the weight of being a regional power.

The five countries newly elected security council members will replace Burkina Faso, Costa Rica, Croatia, Libya and Vietnam on Jan. 1, 2010.