Macky Sall withdraws his bid to lead the UN
The former Senegalese president says the Security Council favors a Latin American candidate; Olara Otunnu is now the only African in the race.
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall withdrew his candidacy for United Nations secretary-general, according to an Oct. 17 statement from Marrakech reported by allAfrica. The decision came after the Security Council's sixth straw poll, held Oct. 16. The Council is the body that recommends the candidate to the General Assembly.
Sall said he wants to promote an international consensus and that the consultations and straw polls showed from the start a preference for someone from Latin America and the Caribbean, possibly a woman. He said he had consulted Senegal's president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and Burundi's, Évariste Ndayishimiye, beforehand. He also called for Africa to keep making its voice heard and to have fairer representation in international bodies.
The vote counts are not official: the Council does not publish them and they circulate through leaks. According to The Rio Times, citing Security Council Report, Sall got five "encourage" votes and ten "discourage" votes in the fifth poll. Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica got nine "encourage" votes. The same outlet reports that Senegal's state news agency APS said three permanent members "vetoed" Sall in the sixth round, and clarifies that these were "discourage" votes, not formal vetoes.
Still in the race, according to the Rio Times, are Grynspan, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, Ecuador's María Fernanda Espinosa and Uganda's Olara Otunnu, the only African. Chile's Michelle Bachelet, whom Mexico had backed, withdrew on Sept. 19.
No one from Latin America has ever been secretary-general. Sall was president of Senegal from 2012 to 2024, and five permanent members hold a veto on the Council.
António Guterres leaves office on Dec. 31, 2026. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said, according to the Rio Times, that the selection should be made "this calendar year." No source says when the next straw poll will be or whether new candidates will enter.
