“I will not be UN secretary-general,” former Chilean president Bachelet says

Michelle Bachelet used a university event in Chile to joke about the slim chances of becoming the next secretary-general of the United Nations. After saying that China had increased its influence at the expense of the United States, the former president added, “That is my opinion, I will not be secretary-general after saying it.”

Her remark came weeks after a poll of the UN Security Council placed her second from last among eight candidates. The August vote reportedly gave Bachelet two favorable votes. Former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett emerged as the leading candidate with eight.

Bachelet was initially nominated in February by the government of former Chilean President Gabriel Boric, alongside Mexico and Brazil. Her candidacy later lost momentum after Chile’s new president, José Antonio Kast, withdrew his support.

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That is my opinion, I will not be secretary-general after saying it.

Haroldo Muñoz, Chile’s former foreign minister and a member of Bachelet’s team, denied that she planned to abandon the race. He said, “Although the goal may not be achieved, her candidacy is a matter of conviction and a defense of principles at a time when multilateralism, international law, climate change, democracy and human rights are being questioned.”

No woman has served as UN secretary-general in the organization’s 80-year history. Latin America has had one officeholder, Peru’s Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, who served from 1982 to 1991. Five women and three men are seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on Dec. 31.

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Although the goal may not be achieved, her candidacy is a matter of conviction and a defense of principles at a time when multilateralism, international law, climate change, democracy and human rights are being questioned.