Full Breakdown
Michelle Bachelet Ends Bid for UN Secretary-General
By Drooid · · How we work
Bachelet Withdraws from the Race
On September 19, former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced in a video posted to her social-media accounts that she was ending her candidacy for United Nations secretary-general. She said she did not regret taking on the challenge, but that “the time was not right” for the type of candidacy she sought to represent.
Background and Regional Rotation
Bachelet was nominated by Chile in February with backing from Brazil and Mexico. The informal UN selection process has featured three straw polls; the 15-member Security Council has traditionally favored a regional rotation, and this cycle was seen as Latin America’s turn. Only one Latin American—Peru’s Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who served from 1982-1991—has ever held the post. Bachelet’s campaign lost momentum after Chile’s new far-right president, José Antonio Kast, withdrew his support.
Poll Results and Candidate Field
The third informal Security Council poll showed Bachelet receiving one “encourage” vote, 11 “discourage” votes and three “no opinion” votes, a sharp decline from six encouraging votes in July and two in August. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan led the poll with nine encouraging votes, closely followed by Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with eight. The remaining field includes International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese president Macky Sall and Ecuadorian diplomat María Fernanda Espinosa. Bachelet’s withdrawal leaves four women and three men still competing for the role that will be vacated by Antonio Guterres on December 31.
Official Statements & Responses
In her announcement, Bachelet emphasized that her candidacy had sparked debate about the need for a woman from Latin America to lead the UN. Secretary-General Guterres, whose term ends on December 31, has warned that the organization faces “imminent financial collapse” with $1.57 billion in unpaid dues by the end of 2025, and that geopolitical divides among major powers have left the UN deadlocked on crises such as Gaza and Ukraine.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Today I announced that I have decided not to continue with my candidacy for the position of secretary-general of the United Nations,” — Michelle Bachelet, former chilean president