Michelle Bachelet Withdraws From Race to Become Next UN Secretary-General

Michelle Bachelet Withdraws From Race for Next UN Secretary-General

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn her candidacy for the post of United Nations secretary-general, ending her bid weeks after an informal Security Council poll placed her near the bottom of the field.

Bachelet, Chile’s first female president, announced her decision on Saturday in a video posted on social media.

She said she had decided not to continue her campaign for the UN’s top post, while acknowledging that some may have felt the timing was not right for the candidacy she represented.

Bachelet said she did not regret taking on the challenge and argued that her campaign had helped generate discussion about the possibility of electing a woman from Latin America as the next UN secretary-general.

The Chilean government said it withdrew its support for Bachelet’s candidacy in March and has not endorsed any other candidate since then. It also reaffirmed its support for multilateralism and reform of the United Nations.

Bachelet’s Campaign Loses Momentum

Bachelet was nominated in February by the government of then-Chilean President Gabriel Boric and received backing from left-leaning leaders in Mexico and Brazil.

Her campaign subsequently lost momentum after Chile’s new president, José Antonio Kast, withdrew the country’s support.

The 74-year-old former president had also acknowledged the difficult nature of her campaign earlier this month, joking about her chances of securing the UN’s top position during a university event.

The selection process is being conducted through informal straw polls in the UN Security Council. In the first two rounds, Costa Rica’s former vice president Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the leading candidate. Guyana’s former foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett topped the third poll.

Seven Candidates Remain

Bachelet’s withdrawal leaves seven candidates — four women and three men — in the contest to succeed current UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Guterres, 77, is serving his second five-year term, which ends on December 31.

No woman has served as UN secretary-general since the organisation was established 80 years ago. Only one Latin American, Peru’s Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, has previously held the position, serving from 1982 to 1991.

Under an informal regional rotation practice that is not always followed, Latin America is expected to have a strong claim to the position this time.

The final choice will be made through the UN’s established appointment process, with the Security Council recommending a candidate for approval by the General Assembly.