{
  "id": 8681843,
  "title": "Former president of Chile abandons UN secretary general candidacy",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/former-president-of-chile-abandons-un-secretary-general-candidacy",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-20T12:04:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Guardian",
    "slug": "the-guardian",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/20/former-president-of-chile-withdraws-from-race-to-become-un-secretary-general"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has abandoned her bid to become the next United Nations secretary general after a lack of support within the United Nations Security Council. The 74-year-old, who served as UN Human Rights Chief, made the announcement via a video on Instagram on Saturday, stating she would continue her international work with the same determination. Bachelet's campaign centered on advocating for multilateralism and international law amid mounting challenges. Her withdrawal leaves seven candidates in contention to succeed current secretary general Antonio Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31. The UN Security Council will recommend a single candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election, a move typically considered formal once consensus is reached. Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan emerged as the frontrunner following a recent informal straw poll.",
  "summary": "Michelle Bachelet drops out after support collapsed in security council straw poll, leaving seven candidates in contest Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has withdrawn her candidacy to become the next secretary general of the UN, ending a bid that had struggled to gain traction among security council members. Bachelet, 74, announced her decision in a video posted on Instagram on…",
  "key_points": [
    "Michelle Bachelet withdraws from UN secretary general candidacy",
    "Lack of support within UN Security Council cited",
    "74-year-old to continue international work with same determination"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}