Macky Sall Withdraws From UN Secretary-General Race After Poor Straw Poll Showing

Former Senegalese President Macky Sall has withdrawn his candidacy for United Nations secretary-general following a disappointing performance in informal Security Council polls and a dispute over efforts to secure African Union backing for his bid.

Sall announced his withdrawal on Saturday, October 17, a day after the latest informal vote by the 15-member UN Security Council. In a statement posted on social media, he said the decision followed consultations with Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye, the current African Union chairperson, and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The former Senegalese leader said he hoped his withdrawal would help facilitate the emergence of a consensus candidate to succeed outgoing UN Secretary-General António Guterres, whose second term ends on December 31, 2026.

According to Africanews, citing the Associated Press, Sall had received only six votes in favour, seven against and two abstentions in an earlier straw poll. His campaign struggled to gain wider support amid concerns about his nomination and the regional balance of the contest.

Sall’s candidacy also encountered resistance within the African Union. Burundi initiated efforts to secure continental endorsement for his bid, but several member states, including Nigeria, objected to the process, arguing that the nomination had not followed the AU’s established procedures for reviewing and approving candidates.

Nigeria also argued that the next secretary-general should come from Latin America and the Caribbean under the informal regional rotation arrangement traditionally observed in the selection process.

The dispute deepened after Sall’s candidacy was advanced without completing the AU’s usual consultation and review procedures. Senegal initially distanced itself from the nomination before President Faye later expressed support for Sall.

The latest withdrawal leaves the contest open, with Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan emerging as a leading contender. Grynspan, a former vice-president of Costa Rica and current head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, has gained significant support in successive informal polls.

Other prominent candidates include Rafael Grossi of Argentina, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, a former foreign minister and current director of the UN’s Office for South-South Cooperation.

Reuters reported on Friday that Grynspan secured nine encouraging votes in the latest informal poll, although five members discouraged her candidacy and one expressed no opinion. Two of the negative votes came from permanent Security Council members, underscoring the obstacles she still faces.

Under the UN selection process, the Security Council must recommend a candidate to the General Assembly. A successful candidate needs at least nine affirmative votes and must avoid a veto from any of the five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Although regional rotation is an established diplomatic convention rather than a binding rule, it has become an important factor in the current contest. Latin America and the Caribbean are widely expected to have the next opportunity to produce the secretary-general.

Sall’s withdrawal represents a setback for efforts to secure an African candidate for the position and highlights divisions within the continent over how its candidates should be selected and endorsed.

The UN Security Council is expected to continue consultations as member states work towards selecting a successor to Guterres before the end of the year.