Chile’s Bachelet quits race to be next UN chief

SANTIAGO: Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has withdrawn her bid for the position of United Nations secretary-general, weeks after a straw poll ranked her last among eight candidates. In a video posted to her social media accounts, Bachelet announced her decision, stating that the time may not have been right for her candidacy.

Bachelet, Chile's first female leader, expressed no regret for taking on the challenge and emphasized that her candidacy helped spark a debate on the need for a woman from Latin America to lead the UN. The Security Council placed Costa Rica's former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan and Guyana's ex-foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett first in two of the three polls.

Bachelet was initially nominated in February 2021 by Chile's former President Gabriel Boric, who was supported by leftist leaders from Mexico and Brazil. However, her candidacy faltered after Chile's new far-right president, Jose Antonio Kast, withdrew his support. Bachelet joked about her slim chances of leading the global body at a university event earlier this month.

Notably, no woman has ever led the UN in its 80-year history, and only one Latin American, Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru, served as secretary-general from 1982 to 1991. UN protocol typically rotates the top position among geographic regions, with this time being Latin America's turn. Bachelet's withdrawal leaves four women and three men in the race to succeed the current UN chief, Antonio Guterres of Portugal, who will step down on December 31 after completing his second five-year term.