Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet Withdraws from UN Secretary-General Race Following Poor Poll Results

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has officially withdrawn her candidacy to become the next United Nations secretary-general, effectively ending her historic bid to become the first woman to lead the global organization in its 80-year history. Bachelet, 74, shared her decision in a video statement published on Instagram on Saturday.

“Today I announced that I have decided not to continue with my candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations,” she stated, adding that she harbors no regrets “having taken on this great challenge” despite feeling that “the time was not right” for her specific vision.

Her exit follows the release of the third informal straw poll by the UN Security Council on Friday. In that vote, Bachelet secured only one “encourage” vote, alongside 11 “discourage” votes and three “no opinion” ballots, a significant drop from her six encouraging votes in July and two in August.

Following the latest poll, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, who currently heads the UN’s Trade and Development body, leads the field with nine encouraging votes. She is followed closely by Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with eight. Additional candidates remaining in contention include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Rafael Grossi, former Senegalese President Macky Sall, and Ecuadorian diplomat Maria Fernanda Espinosa.

To secure a recommendation from the Security Council, any candidate must achieve at least nine votes in favor from its 15 members and avoid a veto from the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—prior to a final decision by the General Assembly.

Bachelet originally received a nomination from Chile in February, supported by Brazil and Mexico. Historically, only one Latin American, Peru’s Javier Perez de Cuellar, has held the top UN post, with an informal regional rotation designating Latin America as next in line.

The successful successor to current Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term concludes on December 31, will inherit an institution facing severe operational hurdles. Guterres cautioned member states earlier this year about an “imminent financial collapse,” noting $1.57bn in unpaid dues by the end of 2025 and limited full contributions from member nations.

As world leaders gather in New York next week for the General Assembly’s annual high-level session opening Tuesday under the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation,” Guterres warned that deep geopolitical divisions among major powers—some of whom “themselves violate international law and sit in the Security Council”—continue to stall action on Gaza, Ukraine, and other global crises.