Michelle Bachelet Admits Defeat in UN Secretary-General Race
- Michelle Bachelet’s candidacy to become the next United Nations secretary-general has encountered significant diplomatic hurdles.
- Speaking at the Universidad Diego Portales during a seminar titled Migration: Challenges for the World, Latin America, and Chile, Bachelet addressed her multilateral ambitions with candid humor.
- According to digital news outlet PassBlue, which specializes in UN affairs, Bachelet experienced the sharpest drop among the eight active candidates during the Security Council's second round of...
Michelle Bachelet’s candidacy to become the next United Nations secretary-general has encountered significant diplomatic hurdles. The former Chilean president acknowledged during a university event that she does not expect to win the post. Reporting from La Tercera details how Bachelet’s bid suffered a steep decline in a recent secret straw poll conducted by the UN Security Council.
A Candid Admission at Universidad Diego Portales
Speaking at the Universidad Diego Portales during a seminar titled Migration: Challenges for the World, Latin America, and Chile, Bachelet addressed her multilateral ambitions with candid humor. When asked why she wanted to lead the international organization, she laughed and replied, Tal vez porque sé que no voy a ser secretaria general
(Perhaps because I know I am not going to be secretary-general).
Falling Support in the UN Security Council
According to digital news outlet PassBlue, which specializes in UN affairs, Bachelet experienced the sharpest drop among the eight active candidates during the Security Council’s second round of informal voting. Her tally dropped from six "encouragement" votes in July to just two votes, alongside six "discouragement" votes and seven abstentions. The results placed her seventh in the race to succeed current UN Secretary-General António Guterres before the formal nomination deadline closes on December 31.
Shifting Regional Loyalties and Veto Power
The candidacy has also faced a shifting regional political landscape in South America. While the governments of Mexico and Brazil have maintained their backing—with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterating their support during recent meetings—domestic backing in Chile shifted when the administration of José Antonio Kast withdrew official state support for her bid.
Meanwhile, reporting from El Líbero indicates that Russia has emerged as an obstacle within the Security Council, while France is viewed as a remaining hope for her campaign.
Diagnosing the Global Governance Crisis
During her appearance at the Universidad Diego Portales, Bachelet diagnosed deeper structural problems within the global governance framework. She stated that the United Nations has lost relevance because member states increasingly favor unilateral and minilateral options, pointing to conflicts such as the situation in Iran where the UN lacks direct involvement.
Bachelet also pointed to severe liquidity challenges affecting the organization. She noted that while the United States is assessed for 22 percent of the regular UN budget, it has withheld payments for four years, and China—whose contribution has grown from 4 percent to 20 percent—frequently falls into arrears.
Her proposed platform had centered on an initiative she termed a "UN 80" reform to address these financial deficits and return to the foundational principles established at the organization’s inception.