UNITED NATIONS — Although South Korea’s foreign minister emerged yesterday as a front-runner in the race to replace Kofi Annan as secretary-general of the United Nations, diplomats said none of the four declared candidates had made enough of a leap to discourage those who are waiting in the wings to join the race.

“It is clear that the Security Council is going to have to look for other names, because none of these are going to make it,” a council diplomat, who requested anonymity because the 15 members of the body decided not to speak about yesterday’s “straw poll” results beyond informing representatives of the countries that presented candidacies, said.

One of the declared candidates, the undersecretary-general for public information, Shashi Tharoor of India, said his second-place showing in yesterday’s poll could be seen as a certain victory.

“I have the highest personal regard” for the South Korean, Ban Ki-Moon, Mr. Tharoor told The New York Sun in an email response to a question about the results, adding however, “I offer a genuine alternative, of a candidate from the South who can articulate a positive vision for a U.N. of the 21st century.”

Mr. Ban received the encouragement of 12 of the council members, with only one discouraging him and two abstaining, according to a diplomat familiar with the results of the council’s survey, who cited the secrecy rule when asking for anonymity. Mr. Ban was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Mr. Tharoor was close behind, with 10 council members favoring him, two opposing, and three abstaining. Thailand’s deputy prime minister, Surakiart Sathirathai, received seven votes in favor, three against, and there were five abstentions. A veteran Sri Lankan diplomat, Jayantha Dhanapala, was backed by only five council members, with six against and four abstaining.

Several council members described yesterday’s results as merely “preliminary” and the American ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the main significance of the straw poll was that it took place earlier in the process than in previous races, allowing the eventual winner a longer period of transition and better preparedness than past elected secretaries-general.

“I think this is consistent with what we talked about in February,” when America held the council’s rotating presidency, Mr. Bolton said of yesterday’s poll.”We hoped to advance the selection process for secretary-general, to begin it as early as was practicable, looking toward making a decision at the end of September, early October.”

Mr. Bolton added that when President Bush recently said America is “looking for Asia” to field a candidate, he merely reflected a common perception at the United Nations, adding that Washington’s policy of not favoring a regional quota “has not changed.”

Asia is Turtle Bay’s favorite to field the next U.N. leader. Asian diplomats on the council indicated that yesterday’s results meant little in the long run. “It’s going to take some time and we’re in no hurry,” Japan’s ambassador, Kenzo Oshima, said.”It’s a process,” the Chinese ambassador, Wang Guangya, said, adding that yesterday’s results are “only indicative” of the next stages of the race.

The French ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, who serves as the current council’s rotating president, told reporters that the results of the balloting, described as “straw poll,” would remain secret. Each candidate was informed of his results, as well as which of the others received the lowest and highest numbers.

The 15 council members received a ballot with the names of the four candidates that have been endorsed by their governments to enter the race, and spaces to make a checkmark indicating “encourage,” “discourage,” or “no opinion.” Identical pens were distributed to the members, and some of the ambassadors kept them as a memento. Mr. Bolton said he returned the pen to the U.N. “for budget purposes.”

After the ballots were cast, a French representative collected the voting box, and two ambassadors, from China and Slovakia, certified the process. “There were no chads,” Mr. Bolton said. “No dimpled chads, no pregnant chads, no hanging chads, so I had very little work to do except to make my marks.”

Possible Asian candidates who are yet to declare themselves include a former prime minister of Singapore, Goh Chok Tong. Middle Easterners, who of course are part of Asia, include Prince Zeid of Jordan. While not strictly Asian, the Turkish director of the U.N Development Program, Kemal Dervis, is also in that group. Eastern European candidates are President Kwasniewski of Poland and President Vike-Freiberga of Latvia.