Chile's Bachelet withdraws from race to lead UN
The withdrawal leaves seven candidates in the race after Bachelet received just 1 encouraging vote and 11 discouragements in the Security Council poll.
- Michelle Bachelet formally withdrew her bid for United Nations secretary-general on Saturday, September 20, 2026, announcing the decision in a video posted to social media following a decisive rejection in the Security Council's third informal straw poll.
- The Security Council's third informal straw poll, held Friday, delivered a crushing setback with one 'encourage' vote against 11 'discourage' votes and three 'no opinion' votes, signaling the collapse of her support within the council.
- UN Watch's campaign, launched in May, scrutinized Bachelet's four-year record as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights through an 11-question letter and appeals to Security Council missions challenging her performance on mass detentions.
- Bachelet's departure leaves four women and three men competing to succeed Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who completes his term on December 31, 2026, with Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan and Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett currently leading.
- Following unwritten rotation practices, Latin America aims to secure the top post this cycle, though Bachelet maintained her campaign sparked debate "that the next secretary-general should be a woman from Latin America.
184 Articles
184 Articles
Bachelet withdraws her UN bid after the third Security Council straw poll
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced on Saturday that she is withdrawing her candidacy for United Nations Secretary-General, a day after the third informal Security Council consultation, in which she lost ground compared with earlier rounds.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet (74) has withdrawn from the election for the presidency of the United Nations. She announced her decision on Instagram.
Chile’s Bachelet quits race to be next UN chief
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet on Saturday withdrew her candidacy for the position of UN secretary-general, weeks after a straw poll showed her in second to last place among eight candidates.“Today I announced that I have decided not to continue with my candidacy for the position of secr
The candidacy of the Chilean ex-mandataria was losing support in the last non-binding votes of the multilateral body
By Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN en Español Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced this Saturday the end of her candidacy for the General Secretariat of the United Nations (UN), after remaining among the last positions in Friday's consultation round.The ex-mandator confirmed the decision in a video on her Instagram account
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