Bachelet Withdraws Bid for U.N. Secretary-General
Bachelet Withdraws Bid for U.N. Secretary-General
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Key Points
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The official candidate field also includes IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, former Ecuadorian Foreign and Defense Minister María Fernanda Espinosa, former Guyanese UN envoy Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett and former Ecuadorian ambassador Ivonne A-Baki.
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The selection process requires a candidate to secure at least nine Security Council votes, including the support of all five permanent, veto-wielding members; the process was scheduled to begin on July 24.
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Explaining her withdrawal, Bachelet warned that multilateralism and international law were facing strong headwinds, while climate-change denial, threats to democracy and risks to human rights were increasing. She said: “I am convinced that it was the moment to raise the voice for these principles.”
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UN Watch alleged that during Bachelet’s 2018–2022 tenure as U.N. high commissioner for human rights, she gave disproportionate scrutiny to democracies while devoting insufficient attention to authoritarian governments; the group specifically cited her delayed stand-alone statement on the mass detention of Uyghurs in China.
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Bachelet’s withdrawal followed a third straw poll in which she ranked second from last among eight candidates, according to an AFP report, providing additional context for the significance of the one-to-11 unfavorable voting result.
Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile, has withdrawn her bid to become the next UN secretary-general TRT World. The decision came after a Security Council straw poll showed her receiving just one favorable vote against 11 unfavorable votes and three abstentions, placing her near the bottom of the eight-candidate field. UN Secretary-General António Guterres leaves office at the end of 2026, triggering the search for his successor.
Bachelet said she had no regrets pursuing the nomination and argued her campaign advanced the cause of an independent woman leader from Latin America Yahoo News. She thanked Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum for their backing. The withdrawal came as multilateralism and international law face what she called "strong headwinds" from climate denial, democratic threats, and human rights risks.
A Crowded Field Competing for a Powerful Job
The UN secretary-general race includes seven other candidates vying for the top post MCI Group. The field features IAEA Director Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, UNCTAD Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan, and three other diplomats from Latin America and the Caribbean. Winning requires at least nine votes from the 15-member Security Council—a critical threshold since all five permanent members (the US, UK, France, Russia and China) hold veto power.
The formal selection process was scheduled to begin July 24. Traditionally, the position rotates among the world's regions. Bachelet's withdrawal leaves her as the first major candidate to exit the race, though the straw poll results from the third round showed her ranked second from last among all eight contenders.
UN Watch Opposed Bachelet Over Human Rights Record
The watchdog group UN Watch claimed credit for opposing Bachelet's candidacy and criticized her tenure as UN human rights chief from 2018 to 2022. The group alleged she gave democracies disproportionate scrutiny while overlooking serious abuses by authoritarian regimes. UN Watch specifically pointed to her delayed public statement condemning China's mass detention of Uyghurs as evidence of these imbalances.
Bachelet has defended her record, saying her decisions reflected the mandate she received. Her withdrawal removes a controversial figure from consideration, though it remains unclear how much UN Watch's criticism influenced her decision versus the poor straw poll results.
Bachelet Cites Global Political Climate in Exit
In explaining her withdrawal, Bachelet warned that the world faces dangerous threats to core UN principles Yahoo News. She cited rising climate-change denial, assaults on democratic institutions, and shrinking space for human rights advocacy. "I am convinced that it was the moment to raise the voice for these principles," she said, suggesting the timing felt wrong for her specific candidacy.
Her departure leaves the race wide open among the remaining candidates. The next straw poll results will reveal whether other contenders face similar pressure to withdraw or whether support consolidates around a frontrunner as the July 24 formal process approaches.
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