The process of selecting the United Nations’ tenth secretary-general has entered a more sensitive phase as António Guterres’s second term approaches its end on 31 December 2026, and after former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet withdrew from the race on Sunday 20 September.
Bachelet withdrawal narrows candidate list
The withdrawal reduced the number of candidates from eight to seven, although new names could theoretically still be put forward before the race is settled. Bachelet’s decision came after her level of support declined in the third informal and secret ballot held by the Security Council to gauge its members’ positions on the candidates.
With her departure, the latest indicators placed Costa Rican Rebecca Grynspan and Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, Guyana’s representative to the United Nations, at the front of the race, without meaning that either is assured of reaching the post.
Stages of selecting the secretary-general at the United Nations
The selection process is not conducted as a direct election in which the 193 UN members take part. It begins with nominations submitted by member states, then moves to the Security Council, which must recommend a specific name, before the General Assembly issues the formal appointment decision.
The process begins with a joint invitation from the president of the General Assembly and the president of the Security Council to member states to submit their candidates, based on General Assembly resolution 79/327, which places transparency and inclusiveness among the principles governing the selection. Each candidate submits a statement outlining their vision for the post, together with their curriculum vitae and disclosures relating to campaign funding.
The candidates then take part in interactive dialogues with member states and civil society representatives, before the competition effectively moves to the Security Council. The council holds informal and secret ballots to measure the level of support for each name and the extent of opposition to it.
The results of those rounds do not constitute a final decision, but they reveal support trends and may prompt candidates with declining results to reconsider whether to remain in the race. The positions of the five permanent members of the Security Council — the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain — remain a decisive factor because they hold veto power.
Broad support within the council may therefore not be enough if one of those countries objects to a candidate, even if the candidate has the backing of most other members. The secretary-general, whom the organisation’s Charter describes as the United Nations’ “chief administrative officer”, manages the Secretariat and carries out the tasks assigned by the organisation’s bodies.
The post is not limited to administrative responsibilities, as its holder also plays a political and diplomatic role in dealing with international crises, mediation, good offices and preventive diplomacy. Article 99 of the UN Charter gives the secretary-general the authority to bring to the Security Council’s attention any matter that they believe may threaten international peace and security.
Powers of the post and indicators of Grynspan’s progress
The office-holder also leads the organisation’s efforts on peace and security, development, humanitarian action and human rights, making the selection dependent on a candidate’s ability to manage the institution while building consensus among competing international powers. Rebecca Grynspan, 70, leads the results of the latest round of informal ballots.
Grynspan, who is from Costa Rica, heads the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, and presents herself as an advocate of multilateralism and reform of the international system. In the third ballot, held on 18 September, Grynspan received the support of nine Security Council members, against five votes, with one member abstaining.
That result returned her to the front of the race after she had also led the first round. Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett is among Grynspan’s leading challengers. Rodrigues-Birkett has represented Guyana at the United Nations since 2020 and previously became the first woman and first Indigenous person to serve as her country’s foreign minister. She led the second round of ballots held in August.
Rodrigues-Birkett received the support of eight members in the 18 September ballot, against six votes, with one member abstaining. That result places her behind Grynspan in the latest publicly reported indicators of support from the secret ballots.
Leading candidates and results of the thirtieth ballot?
Also in the race is Argentine Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, drawing on his experience in nuclear security and international crises. Grossi received the support of five members in the third round, against eight votes, while two abstained. Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, 75, previously served as a United Nations under-secretary-general.
His programme focuses on reforming the organisation and restoring what he describes as its moral authority, as well as establishing an international mechanism to oversee artificial intelligence. He received the support of five members in the third round, against seven votes, with three members abstaining. Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is running with 12 years of presidential experience.
Sall places Security Council reform, support for developing countries and revitalising multilateralism at the centre of his programme. In the latest ballot, he received the support of five members, against nine votes, with one member abstaining. The list of candidates also includes Ecuadorian María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, who previously served as foreign and defence minister in her country and also presided over the United Nations General Assembly.
Her vision focuses on restoring trust in the organisation and improving its ability to set and implement its priorities. Espinosa received the support of three members in the 18 September ballot, against six votes, while six members abstained. She is one of several women candidates in the race for a post held by men throughout the past decades.
Ecuadorian diplomat Ivonne A-Baki was the latest entrant to the race, joining in August after being nominated by Tonga. A-Baki calls for prioritising conflict prevention and institutional reform within the United Nations. In the third round, she received no votes in support, against ten votes, with five members abstaining.
Michelle Bachelet was one of the leading international figures nominated, drawing on her experience as Chile’s president as well as her service as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. However, the results of the third ballot showed her prospects declining: she received the support of only one member, against 11 votes, with three members abstaining, before announcing her withdrawal two days later.
Bachelet’s departure further concentrated the race around Grynspan and Rodrigues-Birkett, based on the latest ballot results. However, the secrecy of the vote prevents identification of the countries that supported or opposed each candidate. The results also do not reveal whether any opposing vote came from one of the five permanent members, a factor that could alter the course of the race when it reaches the formal recommendation stage.
The process is moving towards its final stage, based on seeking a candidate able to secure sufficient support in the Security Council and avoid the use of the veto, then obtain the approval of the General Assembly.
The successful candidate is scheduled to begin leading the United Nations on 1 January 2027, after the end of Guterres’s second term.
