Question: A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1971 to replace U Thant, three candidates received how many votes, required in the Security Council to be selected Secretary-General, one being Kurt Waldheim, he was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria from 1986 to 1992?

Context paragraphs:
United Nations Security Council Resolution 229: United Nations Security Council Resolution 229, adopted on December 2, 1966 after a closed meeting, the Council, "conscious of the proven qualities of high sense of duty of U Thant, and believing that his reappointment would be most conductive to the larger interests and purposes of the Organization", recommended the appointment of U Thant for another term as Secretary-General.

United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1971: A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1971 to replace U Thant.  Three candidates received the 9 votes required in the Security Council to be selected Secretary-General: Carlos Ortiz de Rozas of Argentina, Kurt Waldheim of Austria, and Max Jakobson of Finland.  However, all of the frontrunners were vetoed in the first two rounds of voting.  In the third round, Waldheim accidentally escaped a triple-veto when three permanent members failed to coordinate their votes and all abstained.  As a result, Kurt Waldheim was selected Secretary-General of the United Nations for a term starting 1 January 1972.

U Thant funeral crisis: The U Thant funeral crisis or U Thant crisis (Burmese: ဦးသန့် အရေးအခင်း) was a series of protests and riots in the then-Burmese capital of Yangon triggered by the death of U Thant, the third Secretary-General of the United Nations on 25 November 1974.

United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1976: A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1976 at the end of Kurt Waldheim's first term.  After a single symbolic veto from China to show its support for a Secretary-General from the Third World, Waldheim easily defeated Luis Echeverría Álvarez in the balloting.  The Security Council re-selected Kurt Waldheim as Secretary General for another five-year term beginning 1 January 1977.

United Nations Secretary-General selection, 2016: A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in October 2016 to choose the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations to succeed Ban Ki-moon from 1 January 2017.  Six straw polls were held in the Security Council from 21 July 2016 to 5 October 2016.  António Guterres of Portugal led the polling in every round, finishing the last round with 13 'encourage' votes, 0 'discourage' votes, and 2 abstentions.  On 6 October 2016, the Security Council unanimously recommended Guterres to the General Assembly, which formally selected him by acclamation on 13 October 2016.

United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1981: A United Nations Secretary-General selection was held in 1981.  Kurt Waldheim ran for an unprecedented third full term as Secretary-General, losing to Salim Ahmed Salim by one vote.  However, the selection deadlocked through 16 rounds of voting as China vetoed Waldheim and the United States voted against Salim.  The Security Council finally settled on a dark horse candidate who stayed home and did not campaign.  Javier Pérez de Cuéllar was selected for a term beginning on 1 January 1982, becoming the first Secretary-General from Latin America.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 306: United Nations Security Council Resolution 306 was adopted on December 21, 1971.  After considering the recommendation of the appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Mr. Kurt Waldheim be appointed for a five-year term.

United Nations Secretary-General selection: United Nations Secretary-General selection is the process of selecting the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.  To be selected as Secretary-General, a candidate must receive the votes of at least 9 members of the United Nations Security Council, with no vetoes from permanent members.  The Secretary-General is then appointed by a majority vote of the United Nations General Assembly.

Kurt Waldheim: Kurt Josef Waldheim (] ; 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian diplomat and politician.  Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria from 1986 to 1992.  While he was running for president in Austria in 1985, the revelation of his service in Thessaloniki, Greece as an intelligence officer in the "Wehrmacht" during World War II raised international controversy.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 400: United Nations Security Council Resolution 400, adopted on December 7, 1976 in a closed meeting, after considering the recommendation of the appointment of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Council recommended to the General Assembly that Kurt Waldheim be appointed as Secretary-General for a second term beginning January 1, 1977 and ending December 31, 1981.

Supporting paragraphs: United Nations Secretary-General selection, 1971 Kurt Waldheim
Answer: 9