The U.N. General Assembly has elected Nigeria, Chad, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania and Chile to the Security Council.

This year there were no contested races so their election Thursday was assured.

Human rights groups were especially critical of rights abuses by Saudi Arabia and Chad.

Chad, Saudi Arabia and Lithuania have never served on the U.N.'s most powerful body, while Nigeria and Chile have both been on the council four times previously.

Security Council seats are highly coveted because they give countries a strong voice in matters dealing with international peace and security, such as Syria, sanctions against Iran and North Korea and the U.N.'s far-flung peacekeeping operations.

Seats are allocated by region, and regional groups nominate candidates. There are often hotly contested races. In 2007, for example, a runoff between Guatemala and Venezuela went 47 rounds before Panama was finally offered, and elected, as the Latin America candidate.

This year, there were initially two candidates for a West African seat but Gambia dropped out last week in favor of Nigeria.

To win, each country must obtain support of two-thirds of all General Assembly members present, or a minimum of 129 votes if all 193 members participate.

Because balloting is secret, there is intense lobbying for votes by candidates, even in uncontested races, to ensure they get the minimum number needed for victory.

Winners will assume their posts on Jan. 1 and serve through the end of 2015.

The five winners on Thursday will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo.