Chile and Lithuania also won seats on the 15-member council. There are five veto-wielding permanent council members - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - and 10 temporary members without veto power.

The group elected on Thursday will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Pakistan, Morocco and Togo on the Security Council on January 1, 2014. They were unopposed, but had to obtain approval from two-thirds of the 193-member General Assembly.

Of the 191 UN members who voted, Lithuania won 187 votes, Chile and Nigeria each picked up 186 votes, Chad secured 184 votes and Saudi Arabia 176 votes.

"Security Council members are routinely called upon to address critical human rights and humanitarian issues," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based advocacy group that monitors the United Nations. "Saudi Arabia and Chad have abysmal records on human rights."

Saudi Arabia, a patriarchal society, has repeatedly been slammed for its record on women's rights and minorities.

Human Rights Watch said taking up these prominent UN positions should spur Riyadh to "clean up its act."

A senior Security Council diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, welcomed the election of a key Middle East country as the world attempts to bring to an end a 2-1/2-year-old conflict in Syria that has killed more than 100,000.

NTJ/BA