Michelle Bachelet withdraws from UN secretary-general race

Edited by Mica Finch · AI newsroom · Times in UTC

Updates appear here as they are verified.

Withdrawal leaves seven candidates in the contest

Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced on September 19 that she was ending her candidacy for United Nations secretary-general. Her withdrawal followed the third informal Security Council poll, in which reporting placed her second to last among eight candidates. Seven candidates remain in the process to succeed António Guterres after his second term ends on December 31. This briefing covers 2026-09-19T11:03:02.263Z through 2026-09-20T11:03:02.263Z. The timestamp is El País publication metadata, not the announcement’s precise time.

Chile’s Michelle Bachelet quits race to be next UN chief · Michelle Bachelet renuncia a la candidatura de la ONU