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Bachelet withdraws from UN leadership race
Bachelet left the contest after informal Security Council consultations placed her near the bottom of the field.
What happened
Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet withdrew her candidacy to succeed António Guterres as UN secretary-general. Her announcement followed a third informal Security Council consultation in which she placed near the bottom. She thanked Mexico and Brazil and said the campaign put a Latin American woman’s candidacy on the agenda.
Numbers
- 0 favourable votesBachelet’s latest informal consultation result — Third Council round
- 8 candidatesField in the earlier survey — Bachelet was penultimate
- End of 2026Guterres’s current UN mandate expires — A successor is being chosen
Questions
- Who nominated Bachelet for the post?
- Chile’s previous government nominated her in February, alongside Mexico and Brazil, before Chile’s current government withdrew its backing.
- What principles framed her campaign?
- Bachelet presented her bid as a defence of multilateralism, international law, democracy, human rights and recognition of climate science.
- How are Mexico and Brazil responding?
- Mexico is reviewing the remaining candidacies jointly with Brazil before deciding whether the two governments will support another candidate.
- How did the latest consultation end?
- In the third informal Security Council consultation, she received no favourable votes and finished penultimate among the candidates.
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The catch
Bachelet’s announcement gave no single reason for her withdrawal from the race.
Her stated principles were broader.