Politics
Bachelet withdraws from UN secretary-general race after poll collapse
September 20, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Coverage
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 10 hours
TGThe Guardian
Former president of Chile abandons UN secretary general candidacy
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
رئيسة تشيلي السابقة خارج السباق لمنصب الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera English
Michelle Bachelet exits UN chief race after low poll support
(opens the publisher’s site)Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn from the race for United Nations secretary-general after support for her candidacy collapsed.
- Bachelet, 74, announced her decision on Saturday in a video posted to Instagram, saying she did not regret taking on the challenge.
- Her exit follows Friday's third informal Security Council straw poll, in which she received one encouraging vote, 11 discouraging votes and three no-opinion votes.
- That poll put Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan in the lead with nine encouraging votes, ahead of Guyana's Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with eight.
- Seven candidates remain, and the Security Council will recommend a nominee backed by at least nine of its 15 members without a permanent-member veto.