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Overview
- Lula said Saturday that Brazil will keep backing Michelle Bachelet for UN chief alongside Mexico following Chile’s withdrawal earlier in the week.
- Chile’s new government under President José Antonio Kast ended its endorsement citing a crowded Latin American field and an unfavorable context, and it said it will stay neutral if she runs on.
- Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, reaffirmed support on Wednesday and called Bachelet an ideal choice to lead the United Nations.
- The selection runs through the UN Security Council, where any of the five permanent members can veto a nominee, and reporting says China has signaled it wants a Latin American pick to have backing from their own country, which Bachelet no longer has.
- Candidate debates are due to start in April in New York before the council’s consultations, with António Guterres leaving on December 31 and rivals including Argentina’s Rafael Grossi and Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan already in the race.