Socialist Bachelet withdraws from UN race after losing Chile's support and falling behind in the Security Council poll

Michelle Bachelet announced Saturday that she will not continue as a candidate for the position of secretary-general of the United Nations (UN). The former Chilean president announced her decision in a video posted on social media, weeks after falling to a very unfavorable position among the candidates for the post.

"Today I announce that I have decided not to continue with my candidacy for the position of secretary-general of the United Nations," Bachelet stated.

The decision came after an informal UN Security Council vote in which the former president ranked second-to-last among eight candidates. According to reports published following the poll, she received only one vote in her favor, while the majority of representatives favored other candidates.

The change in government was decisive

Bachelet was initially nominated in February by the government of former Socialist President Gabriel Boric, with the backing of Mexico and Brazil. However, the new Chilean government of José Antonio Kast withdrew its official support for her candidacy in March, considering her chances of success to be very slim.

In a statement, the Chilean government recalled "that in March it withdrew its support for Bachelet's candidacy and noted that since then it has not endorsed any of the candidates in the race."

The administration "also reaffirmed its commitment to multilateralism and United Nations reform."

A setback for the international left

Bachelet defended her candidacy as an opportunity to promote a Latin American and independent woman to lead the UN. In her message, she stated that she did not regret having participated in the race.

"Some may believe that the time was not right for a candidacy like the one I sought to represent. I do not regret having taken on this great challenge," she said.

The former president gave special thanks to the socialist presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, for having supported her candidacy from the start.

The outcome also represents a setback for the Latin American leftist agenda, which sought to place a figure associated with the expansion of international organizations and human rights policies at the helm of the United Nations.