Former Chilean president defended candidacy before UN General Assembly with backing from Brazil and Mexico, facing three other contenders.
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Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet presented her candidacy for UN Secretary-General to representatives of all 193 UN member states Tuesday in New York, marking her first major international test in the race for the position.
Bachelet, who previously served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed the General Assembly with diplomatic backing from Brazil and Mexico. She competed against candidates Rafael Grossi of Argentina, Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, and Macky Sall of Senegal.
Her platform centers on "continuous reform that strengthens coherence" within the organization, with emphasis on "preventive diplomacy, mediation, and a professional Secretariat." During her presentation, Bachelet called for "modern United Nations focused on real, sustainable results."
The session lasted three hours, during which candidates fielded questions from member states. Each candidate had two minutes to respond to inquiries from the floor.
Bachelet's candidacy proceeded without backing from the Chilean government. The administration of President José Antonio Kast reaffirmed Tuesday that it would not support her, citing low probability of success due to fragmentation of candidates within the region and lack of key support. Foreign Minister Pérez Mackenna indicated the government's position remained unchanged despite the advancement of the process.
Former Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker characterized Bachelet's candidacy as having "a great advantage" through the backing of Brazil and Mexico, describing her as "the candidate of Brazil and Mexico" rather than merely having their support. Walker noted this represented "the closest thing to a Latin American candidacy," pointing out that only three candidates from the region were competing compared to thirteen from Europe a decade earlier. He also stated that the Chilean government's withdrawal of support "is not understood abroad."
Concerns about a potential U.S. veto have emerged, though only Republican parliamentarians have publicly opposed her candidacy thus far. No official position from the U.S. administration has been announced.
During her remarks, Bachelet referenced Chilean folk singer Violeta Parra as part of her address to the assembly.
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