Sheinbaum Reaffirms Support for Bachelet After Kast Withdraws Backing at the UN

Original article: Sheinbaum mantiene respaldo a Bachelet tras portazo de Kast en la ONU

The Mexican government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, has pledged its ongoing support for Michelle Bachelet‘s bid for the Secretary-General position at the United Nations (UN) following José Antonio Kast’s decision to withdraw his endorsement.

The former Chilean president (2006-2010 and 2014-2018) was nominated by the government of former President Gabriel Boric (2022-2026), alongside Mexico and Brazil. Officials from the Foreign Ministry justified Kast’s refusal to support Bachelet by stating that «the fragmentation of candidacies from Latin America and differences with key stakeholders in this process render this candidacy unfeasible and diminish the likelihood of its success.»

In light of this development, Sheinbaum confirmed that her administration will continue to support Bachelet, reiterating that the reasons for her nomination to this role at the UN remain valid. She also announced that she will soon have a phone conversation with Bachelet.

«We will continue to support her, and I have a call with her soon. It’s possible to do this; support does not necessarily have to come from the same country, and the arguments we have for endorsing her are still valid,» Sheinbaum stated on Wednesday during a press conference.

Sheinbaum characterized Bachelet as a highly experienced individual, noting her two terms as president of Chile.

«She is a woman who seeks peace in the world, who has a vision for building rights and resolving conflicts peacefully, and who aims to reconstruct the United Nations as a body for resolving international disputes and advocating for a charter of rights for all people around the globe among her other attributes,» she emphasized.

«We consider Bachelet to be the ideal candidate to lead the United Nations, and we will continue to support her,» she reiterated.

The Mexican president indicated that she needs to confirm whether her Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will also continue to back Bachelet’s candidacy.

«We will see if Brazil continues with this support, as we were Chile, Brazil, and Mexico. Therefore, we have made the decision to continue supporting her,» she expressed.

Sheinbaum noted that this decision followed discussions with Secretary of Foreign Relations Juan Ramón de la Fuente and Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources, who was also mentioned as a potential candidate for the UN Secretary-General position and indicated that she is «fully in agreement» with the support for the former Chilean president.

Through her candidacy, Michelle Bachelet aims to succeed the Portuguese António Guterres, who will conclude his second term as Secretary-General of the UN on December 31, 2026.

The former president has held high-ranking positions within the international organization, serving as the Executive Director of UN Women (2010-2013) and then as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2018-2022).

Although not a formal practice, the position of Secretary-General is expected to rotate among regions, and this time it could be Latin America’s turn, making Bachelet’s name increasingly prominent. In 80 years, no woman has held the highest position at the UN, and only one Latin American, the Peruvian diplomat Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (1982-1991), has ever served in this capacity.