MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Friday, September 4th 2026 - 23:30 UTC
The remark came at a panel discussion on migration organized by Diego Portales University, two weeks after the Security Council's second informal poll, held on August 21
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet acknowledged on Thursday the difficulties facing her candidacy for United Nations secretary-general. Asked at a public event in Santiago why she wants to lead the organization, she replied in a light tone: “That's what I ask myself. Perhaps because I know I'm not going to be secretary-general.”
The remark came at a panel discussion on migration organized by Diego Portales University, two weeks after the Security Council's second informal poll, held on August 21. The polls are secret and the Council's rotating presidency confirmed the vote without releasing results. According to the digital outlet PassBlue, which specializes in United Nations coverage, Bachelet recorded the sharpest decline among the eight contenders: she went from six “encourage” votes in July to two, with six “discourage” and seven abstentions, placing her seventh, ahead only of Ecuador's Ivonne A-Baki, nominated by Tonga on August 17.
