Overview
- On Thursday Michelle Bachelet publicly acknowledged she does not expect to be elected UN secretary‑general after a campaign that produced poor informal Security Council poll results.
- An August informal Security Council poll reported Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues‑Birkett with eight favorable votes while Bachelet reportedly secured only two supports, placing her near the bottom of the field.
- Chile’s government formally withdrew its sponsorship of Bachelet’s bid in March, and Mexico and Brazil have continued to offer official backing as her team presses on.
- Pressure is rising at home for Bachelet to withdraw, with lawmakers saying she should step aside even as campaign figures such as Haroldo Muñoz say the candidacy will not be abandoned immediately.
- Bachelet framed her fading prospects as part of a wider weakening of multilateralism, tying it to a decline in US soft power and growing Chinese influence and noting that informal Security Council straw polls strongly shape the selection for the post that opens January 2027.