Michelle Bachelet withdraws from race for UN secretary-general after straw poll drop

Withdrawal after council straw polls

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced on Saturday, 19 September 2026, that she is withdrawing her candidacy for the position of United Nations secretary-general. The 74-year-old former head of state released a video message on Instagram following the results of a third informal straw poll in the UN Security Council on Friday, in which her support dropped to penultimate place among the eight contenders. Bachelet had previously held fourth position in an initial straw poll in July before her standing eroded in subsequent ballots.

“I will now continue, with the same determination as always, my international work.”

Her exit leaves seven candidates in the contest to succeed António Guterres, who concludes his second five-year term on 31 December 2026.

Campaign platform and political obstacles

Bachelet, who governed Chile from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018, previously served as executive director of UN Women and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights between 2018 and 2022. Her campaign emphasized the defence of multilateralism, international law, human rights, democracy, and climate action. Speaking earlier in September at Diego Portales University in Santiago, Bachelet had already acknowledged that her prospects were minimal.

“It may be that some think it was not the right time for the type of candidacy I intended to represent, in a context where strong winds blow against principles such as multilateralism.”

Her bid faced significant diplomatic hurdles, starting with the withdrawal of official backing from her home country after conservative President José Antonio Kast took office in Chile. The United States also declined to endorse her nomination, with several senators criticizing her past positions on abortion and her record as human rights commissioner. Bachelet relied primarily on endorsements from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, both of whom she thanked upon stepping down.

The field for the next secretary-general

The withdrawal leaves four women and three men in contention for the UN leadership. Costa Rican diplomat Rebeca Grynspan led the first two straw polls, while former Guyanese foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett ranked first in the third informal vote on Friday. Two Ecuadorian diplomats, María Fernanda Espinosa and Ivonne A-Baki, also remain in the race.

Female candidates4

Male candidates3

Female candidates

4 candidates

Male candidates

3 candidates

Data from the article text

The selection process coincides with calls for the appointment of the first female secretary-general in the organization's 80-year history. Outgoing UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock stated that it is time for a woman to lead the institution. Regional rotation conventions also point toward Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that has not held the secretary-general post since Peruvian diplomat Javier Pérez de Cuéllar completed his tenure in 1991.

Selection procedure in the Security Council

The formal appointment requires a recommendation from the 15-member UN Security Council to the 193-member UN General Assembly. Under UN procedures, a successful nominee must secure at least nine affirmative votes in the Security Council without a veto from any of the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Security Council continues to conduct secret straw polls to narrow the field before delivering its final candidate recommendation to the General Assembly.