Michelle Bachelet Steps Back From UN Secretary General Bid

WHO:

The Guardian - Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile and former UN human rights chief.

Al Jazeera - Rebeca Grynspan, head of the UN’s Trade and Development body; Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, candidate from Guyana; Rafael Grossi, candidate from the International Atomic Energy Agency; Macky Sall, former president of Senegal; Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuadorian diplomat.

WHAT:

The Guardian - Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn her candidacy to become the next secretary general of the UN.

Al Jazeera - Bachelet's withdrawal leaves seven candidates in the race to succeed António Guterres.

Al Jazeera - In the third informal straw poll, Bachelet received one “encourage” vote, 11 “discourage” votes, and three “no opinion” votes.

Al Jazeera - The same poll indicated that Rebeca Grynspan was in the lead with nine encouraging votes, followed by Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett with eight.

WHERE:

The Guardian - The UN Security Council and the 193-member General Assembly.

WHEN:

The Guardian - António Guterres will conclude his second five-year term as secretary general on December 31.

Al Jazeera - Bachelet was nominated by Chile in February.

WHY:

The Guardian - Bachelet's campaign struggled to gain traction among security council members.

Al Jazeera - Bachelet stated she did not regret taking on the challenge, but felt “the time was not right” for her candidacy.

HOW:

Al Jazeera - To be recommended by the Security Council, a candidate needs at least nine of its 15 members to vote in favor and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members.

(UPDATED September 20, 2026 21:58 UTC)

Michelle Bachelet has officially withdrawn her candidacy to become the next secretary general of the UN, leaving seven candidates in the race to succeed António Guterres, who will conclude his second five-year term on December 31. In the latest informal straw poll, Bachelet received one “encourage” vote, 11 “discourage” votes, and three “no opinion” votes, while Rebeca Grynspan led with nine encouraging votes. Bachelet expressed that she did not regret taking on the challenge but felt that “the time was not right” for her candidacy, as her campaign struggled to gain traction among security council members.