Chile’s Bachelet drops out of UN race

GENEVA, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced on Saturday that she is withdrawing her candidacy to become the next secretary-general of the Nations, ending a bid that had struggled to gain traction among Security Council members.

Bachelet, 74, announced her decision in a video posted on Instagram, saying, “I will now continue, with the same determination as always, my international work.”

The two-time Chilean president and former UN human rights chief had positioned her campaign around defending multilateralism and international law at a time she said both were under sustained pressure. Bachelet’s exit leaves seven candidates in the race to succeed Secretary-General António Guterres, who will conclude his second five-year term December 31, 2026. It is still possible for more candidates to enter the contest. Her withdrawal comes just a day after a third informal straw poll, held Friday, showed her support had all but collapsed.