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Bachelet concedes UN bid is unlikely to succeed: “I know I won’t be secretary-general”

From Proceso Digital · () 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 does not expect to become the next UN secretary-general after unfavorable informal polling in the Security Council.
  • She placed seventh among eight candidates in the latest poll, with six negative votes, after ranking fourth in the first consultation.
  • Bachelet continues her campaign with support from Brazil and Mexico, while Chile’s government withdrew its backing and said her chances were very low.

Michelle Bachelet has openly conceded that her campaign to become the next United Nations secretary-general is unlikely to succeed. “I know I won’t be secretary-general,” the former Chilean president said at a University of Diego Portales event in Santiago.

I know I won’t be secretary-general.

· Michelle BacheletBachelet acknowledged the difficult outlook for her campaign to lead the United Nations.

Bachelet, who served as Chile’s president from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018, discussed her prospects after suffering another setback in informal polling by the UN Security Council. In the second poll, held at the end of August, she received six unfavorable votes and ranked seventh among eight candidates. The first consultation, in July, had placed her fourth.

The former UN high commissioner for human rights also spoke about what she described as a crisis of multilateralism. She said US President Donald Trump had helped intensify a broader strategic and structural struggle, although she argued that the crisis did not begin with him. Bachelet said the United States had lost soft power while China’s had grown, pointing to culture and a country’s attractiveness as key elements of that influence.

I think it did not start with him, but it has gained much strength through him. Because what lies beneath this is a strategic, structural struggle.

· Michelle BacheletShe was discussing the crisis of multilateralism and Donald Trump’s role in intensifying it.

“Since I won’t be secretary-general, I can say this, but it is a relief,” she added, drawing laughter. Bachelet continues to campaign with backing from Brazil and Mexico after Chile’s government, led by President José Antonio Kast, withdrew its support in March. The government said her chances of success were “very low.”

One of the powers countries also have is what is called soft power, which is culture, what makes countries attractive. US soft power has fallen and China’s soft power has grown a great deal.

· Michelle BacheletShe compared changes in the United States’ and China’s international influence.

In recent months, Bachelet has traveled to different regions to meet officials from countries on the Security Council. She has met with officials from all of those countries except the United States, where she has been unable to arrange a meeting with Trump.

Since I won’t be secretary-general, I can say this, but it is a relief.

· Michelle BacheletShe made the remark while discussing her candidacy and the latest Security Council polling.
About this summary

Originally published by Proceso Digital 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.

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