DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

Bachelet concedes UN bid has almost no chance as pressure grows to withdraw

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Michelle Bachelet said she would not become the next United Nations secretary-general after receiving little support in preliminary polling.
  • Her campaign lost backing from Chile’s government and faced opposition from conservative U.S. lawmakers and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
  • Bachelet criticized the weakening of multilateralism and said she would continue fighting for her ideals.

Michelle Bachelet has acknowledged that her campaign to become the next United Nations secretary-general is effectively over. Speaking at a forum in Santiago, the former Chilean president said plainly, “I will not be secretary-general.”

I will not be secretary-general.

· Michelle BacheletBachelet acknowledged that her UN leadership bid was no longer viable.

Bachelet discussed the global balance between the United States and China, saying American soft power had declined while China’s had grown. She also argued that the discrediting of multilateralism did not begin with Donald Trump, but had gained force under his administration as part of a deeper strategic struggle.

Her candidacy began with support from Chile’s previous government, Mexico and Brazil. That backing disappeared after the government of right-wing President José Antonio Kast withdrew its endorsement. Conservative U.S. lawmakers and Secretary of State Marco Rubio also criticized Bachelet, including over her position on abortion.

One of the powers countries have is what is called soft power, which is culture, what makes countries attractive. And it has changed: the soft power of the United States has fallen and the soft power of China has grown a lot.

· Michelle BacheletShe discussed the changing global influence of the United States and China.

Bachelet met representatives of every Security Council member except the United States during an intensive campaign. Preliminary polling placed her fourth and later second-to-last among eight candidates. A Security Council vote in August identified Guyana’s former foreign minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett as the leading candidate, with eight favorable votes, while Bachelet received only two in the latest poll.

That is the issue. I will not be secretary-general after giving my opinion. It is a relief.

· Michelle BacheletBachelet linked her candidacy’s prospects to her criticism of weakening multilateralism.

The former UN Women chief and UN high commissioner for human rights said the organization had lost relevance as multilateralism weakened, while political and financial pressure intensified. She said global challenges could not be solved by any individual alone, but vowed to keep fighting for her ideals “until the day I die.”

Until the day I die.

· Michelle BacheletShe vowed to continue fighting for her ideals.
About this summary

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog