Chile's Bachelet withdraws from race to lead UN

GENEVA, Sept 20 (Reuters) - ‌Former Chilean ​president ​Michelle Bachelet announced on Saturday that she is withdrawing her candidacy to become the ‌next secretary-general of the United Nations, ending ⁠a bid that had struggled to gain traction among Security ‌Council members.

Bachelet, 74, announced ‌her decision in a video posted on Instagram, saying, "I will now continue, with the same determination ​as always, my international work."

The two-time Chilean president and former UN human rights chief had ⁠positioned her campaign around defending multilateralism and international law at a ​time she said both were under sustained pressure.

Bachelet's exit leaves seven candidates in the ​race to succeed Secretary-General António ‌Guterres, who will conclude his second five-year term on December 31, 2026. It ⁠is still possible for more candidates to enter the contest.

Her withdrawal comes just a day after a third ⁠informal straw poll, held Friday, showed her support had all ​but collapsed. The same poll put Costa Rica's Rebeca Grynspan in the lead.

The UN Security Council will eventually formally ‌recommend a single candidate to the 193-member General Assembly for election. The Assembly's ‌approval has long been seen as a formality ⁠once the Council reaches ‌consensus.

(Reporting by Emma ​Farge in Geneva and Oliver Hirt in Zurich, editing by Rachel More and Toby ‌Chopra)

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