Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced yesterday that she is withdrawing her candidacy to become the next secretary-general of the United Nations, a race that has seen Guyana’s former foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett running neck and neck with former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan.
Reuters reported that Bachelet ended a bid that had struggled to gain traction among Security Council members.
She announced her decision in a video posted on Instagram, saying, “I will now continue, with the same determination as always, my international work.”
The two-time Chilean president and former UN human rights chief had positioned her campaign around defending multilateralism and international law at a time she said both were under sustained pressure, Reuters said.
Bachelet’s exit leaves seven candidates in the race to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, who will conclude his second five-year term on December 31, 2026. It is still possible for more candidates to enter the contest and analysts have suggested that others may join given the current deadlock in voting.
Bachelet’s withdrawal came just a day after a third informal straw poll, held Friday, showed her support had all but collapsed. The same poll put Grynspan in the lead with Rodrigues-Birkett in the second spot.
Grynspan secured 9 encourage votes from the 15-member United Nations Security Council while Rodrigues-Birkett secured 8.
In the first round on July 30, Grynspan had come out ahead of Rodrigues-Birkett with 10 encourage votes compared to nine for the Guyanese diplomat. At the second round of voting on August 21, Rodrigues-Birkett edged ahead of Grynspan 8 to 7 in what is shaping up to be a close contest.
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