Chile withdraws support for Bachelet’s candidacy for UN Secretary General
Bachelet responded with a statement affirming her candidacy would continue with the support of Brazil and Mexico. My willingness to contribute to this challenge remains intact
The government of José Antonio Kast on Tuesday withdrew Chile’s backing for former President Michelle Bachelet’s bid to lead the United Nations, deeming her candidacy unviable in the current context.
We have reached the conviction that the context of this election, the dispersion of Latin American candidacies and the differences with some of the relevant actors who define this process make this candidacy unviable, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The ministry said Chilean embassies abroad would cease participating in promotional efforts. However, the government specified that if Bachelet chooses to continue, Chile will refrain from supporting any other candidate.
The candidacy had been formalised on February 2 by the government of Gabriel Boric, jointly with Brazil and Mexico, in the final stage of his term. Bachelet seeks to succeed Portugal’s António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026. If elected, she would become the first woman and the second Latin American — after Peru’s Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1982–1991) — to hold the post in the organisation’s 80-year history.
Bachelet, 74, served as president of Chile twice (2006–2010 and 2014–2018), was the first executive director of UN Women (2010–2013) and served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2018–2022).
The decision came four days after a private meeting between Kast and Bachelet at La Moneda palace, requested by the former president. The withdrawal of support had been anticipated in diplomatic circles for weeks. Guillermo Ramírez, a ruling coalition lawmaker and president of the UDI party, had argued that investing in a losing candidacy made no sense and warned that if China backed Bachelet, the United States would likely veto her on the Security Council.
Bachelet responded with a statement affirming her candidacy would continue with the support of Brazil and Mexico. My willingness to contribute to this challenge remains intact; I will therefore continue working with the governments of Brazil and Mexico, who have put forward my name, reaffirming the collective nature of this project, she said. The former president added that she understands foreign policy definitions may change with new administrations, even if her vision of statesmanship differs.
The announcement coincided with a politically difficult moment for the Kast government, which the previous night had disclosed a historic rise in fuel prices. From the opposition, Socialist lawmaker Raúl Soto described the decision as an unprecedented international embarrassment, according to AFP.CompartirContenido del proyectoMercoPressCreado por tiAgrega PDF, documentos u otro texto para consultar en este proyecto.
