Bachelet Exits UN Leadership Race Amid Weak Support

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn from the contest to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, ending her attempt to become the first woman to lead the organisation. Bachelet, 74, announced her decision in an Instagram video, saying she did not regret accepting the challenge even though “the time was not right” for the candidacy she hoped to represent. Her withdrawal followed the UN Security Council’s third informal straw poll, held on Friday. Bachelet received only one “encourage” vote, compared with 11 “discourage” votes and three “no opinion” votes. Her support had already declined from six encouraging votes in July to two in August. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan led the latest poll with nine encouraging votes, followed by Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with eight. Other candidates include Rafael Grossi, Macky Sall and Maria Fernanda Espinosa. A candidate must receive at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Bachelet was nominated by Chile in February with backing from Brazil and Mexico. Her candidacy had also reflected an unofficial regional rotation that placed Latin America in line for the position. Only one Latin American, Peru’s Javier Perez de Cuellar, has previously served as secretary-general. The next secretary-general will replace Antonio Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, and inherit an organisation facing major financial and geopolitical challenges. Guterres has warned of an imminent financial collapse, citing $1.57bn in unpaid dues by the end of 2025. He has also criticised divisions among major powers and the UN’s deadlock over Gaza, Ukraine and other crises. World leaders are due to gather in New York for the General Assembly’s high-level session under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation.”

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn her candidacy to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, ending a campaign that had failed to attract sufficient support from members of the UN Security Council. Bachelet, 74, announced the decision on Saturday in a video posted on Instagram. She said she would continue her international work with the same determination, but did not provide further details about the reasons for her withdrawal. A two-time president of Chile and former UN human rights chief, Bachelet had based her campaign on defending multilateralism and international law, which she argued were facing sustained pressure. Her withdrawal came one day after a third informal Security Council straw poll showed that her support had nearly disappeared. The poll placed Costa Rican candidate Rebeca Grynspan in the lead. Bachelet’s departure leaves seven candidates competing to replace Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. The contest remains open to additional candidates. The UN Security Council will eventually recommend one candidate to the 193-member General Assembly. Although the General Assembly formally elects the secretary-general, its approval is generally considered a formality once the Security Council reaches consensus. The article presents Bachelet’s withdrawal as a significant development in the selection process, while noting that the outcome remains undecided and that Grynspan’s lead in the informal poll does not constitute a final selection.

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet withdrew her candidacy for United Nations secretary-general on Sept 19, ending her bid after an informal Security Council straw poll placed her second to last among eight candidates. Bachelet announced the decision in a video posted on social media, saying she did not regret pursuing the challenge and arguing that her campaign had helped promote the idea that the next UN chief should be a woman from Latin America. Bachelet, Chile’s first female president, was nominated in February by the administration of then-president Gabriel Boric and initially received backing from the leftist governments of Mexico and Brazil. Her campaign subsequently weakened after Chile’s new far-right President, Jose Antonio Kast, withdrew his support. She had also acknowledged her underdog position at a university event earlier in September. The selection process has included three informal polls conducted by the 15-member UN Security Council. Costa Rica’s former vice-president Rebeca Grynspan led in two polls, while former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett topped the third. Bachelet’s withdrawal leaves seven candidates—four women and three men—in contention to replace current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on Dec 31. The race has broader symbolic significance because no woman has ever led the UN in its 80-year history. Only one Latin American, Peru’s Javier Perez de Cuellar, has previously served as secretary-general. Under an informal geographic rotation convention, Latin America is expected to have a strong claim to the position this time, although the practice is not binding. Bachelet’s campaign therefore raised questions about both regional representation and the prospect of selecting the UN’s first female leader.

Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile and former UN high commissioner for human rights, has withdrawn from the contest to become the next secretary general of the United Nations. Bachelet, 74, announced her decision in a video posted to Instagram, saying she would continue her international work with the same determination. Her departure follows a sharp decline in support during the UN Security Council’s third informal straw poll, held on Friday. The vote placed Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan at the front of the field and indicated that Bachelet’s campaign had lost momentum among council members. Bachelet had presented herself as a defender of multilateralism and international law, arguing that both principles were facing sustained pressure. Her withdrawal leaves seven declared candidates competing to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on 31 December. Additional candidates may still enter the race. The Security Council will eventually recommend one candidate to the 193-member UN General Assembly. Although the assembly must formally approve the nominee, that decision is generally considered procedural once the council’s permanent and elected members reach a consensus. Bachelet’s withdrawal therefore marks a significant change in the field, particularly because she had been one of the most prominent candidates due to her experience as Chile’s president and as the UN’s human rights chief. The race remains open, with Grynspan emerging as a leading contender and the final outcome dependent on negotiations among Security Council members.