Chile's Bachelet quits race to be next UN chief

Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet withdrew her candidacy for United Nations Secretary-General on Saturday, following poor results in the Security Council's informal straw polls. Her momentum slowed after placing second-to-last in the Security Council's early straw polls, receiving 1 'encourage' vote and 11 'discourage' votes in the third informal poll.

Initially nominated in February 2026 by then-president Gabriel Boric alongside Brazil and Mexico, her campaign lost domestic backing when Chile's President José Antonio Kast took office and withdrew support.