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last mo.

Michelle Bachelet Withdraws From UN Secretary‑General Race

Her exit after a poor Security Council straw poll signals momentum for Rebeca Grynspan as the Council narrows candidates toward a nominee who must win nine votes without a P5 veto.

FILE - U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet speaks to the media after her visit to Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Aug. 17, 2022. China has denounced a long-delayed U.N. report that was released over its protest and that says the government's arbitrary detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu, File)
Michelle Bachelet addresses during the "UN Town Hall: The Next Secretary-General" event at United Nations headquarters in New York City, U.S., July 23, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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Chile's former president Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn from the race to be the next UN secretary-general

Overview

  • Bachelet announced she was ending her campaign on Saturday after the Security Council’s third informal straw poll recorded one “encourage,” 11 “discourage” and three “no opinion” votes for her.
  • Her bid had already weakened when Chile’s new president, José Antonio Kast, withdrew national backing, reducing the regional political support that had helped launch her candidacy.
  • The field now stands at seven active candidates, with Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan leading the latest poll with nine “encourage” votes and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues‑Birkett close behind with eight.
  • The Security Council will continue informal polling and negotiations before formally recommending a single candidate to the 193‑member General Assembly, and any nominee must secure at least nine Council votes and face no veto from China, France, Russia, the UK or the US.
  • The race has revived calls for a woman from Latin America to lead the UN for the first time in its history, a choice that would shape how the next secretary‑general confronts deep geopolitical deadlock and mounting financial strains at the organization.