New Chile president withdraws support for Bachelet UN chief bid

Kast's leftist predecessor Gabriel Boric had in February backed two-term president Bachelet's attempt to become the first woman to head the United Nations, in a move also supported by leftist-led Brazil and Mexico.

A foreign ministry statement on Tuesday however said Santiago "has decided to withdraw Chile's backing for ex-president Michelle Bachelet as candidate for the post of secretary general of the United Nations."

"The fragmentation of candidacies among Latin American states and the differences with some of the key players shaping this process render this candidacy and its eventual success unviable," the ministry said, while adding it would not back another contender if Bachelet were to seek to stay in the race.

Even without having Chile’s backing, Bachelet, 74, can still proceed with her candidacy, as she retains Brazil's and Mexico's backing.

Each potential candidate must be formally nominated by a state or group of states, but not necessarily by their country of origin.

Bachelet, a pediatrician by profession, is the only woman to have served as president of Chile (2006–2010 and 2014–2018), under the Socialist Party's banner.

She has been hoping to succeed Portugal’s Antonio Guterres, 76, who will conclude his second term at the UN helm on December 31.

As well as president, Bachelet previously served as executive director of UN Women (2010–2013) and later as UN high commissioner for human rights (2018–2022).

To date, no woman has held the post of UN secretary general.

An unwritten rule has it that the top UN post rotates among the world's main regions, and now it's the turn of Latin America.

The only previous Latin American UN secretary general was Peruvian diplomat Javier Perez de Cuellar, who served between 1982 and 1991.