Michelle Bachelet admits her UN candidacy faces slim chances

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet acknowledged that her candidacy to become Secretary-General of the United Nations is facing a complex scenario, after placing seventh out of eight candidates in the second informal vote of the Security Council.

During a discussion on migration organized by Diego Portales University, Bachelet responded with laughter when asked why she aspires to lead the international organization: “Maybe because I know I am not going to be secretary-general”.

The former president currently has the backing of Mexico and Brazil, after the Government of Chile, led by President José Antonio Kast, withdrew its support for the candidacy.

Bachelet also questioned the weakening of multilateralism and maintained that the United Nations is going through a crisis of funding and international relevance. She pointed out that the United States and China account for a significant portion of contributions to the regular budget, but warned that payment delays have caused a liquidity crisis.

“They are trying to do more with less, but there is a limit to that,” he stated.

The former president previously proposed a reform called “UN 80”, aimed at modernizing the organization and responding to its financial problems, while defending the validity of the principles with which it was created.

In the second round of the straw poll, Bachelet reportedly went from six “encouragement” votes to only two, while accumulating six “discouragement” votes and seven abstentions, according to the specialized outlet PassBlue.

The process to choose António Guterres’ successor remains open and the formal deadline for the 193 UN member states to designate the next secretary-general expires on December 31, 2026.