Macky Sall pulls out of the race to lead the UN
Senegal's former president says he wants to help a consensus candidate emerge, a day after every contender drew at least one veto in an informal Security Council poll.
Lire cet article en français →
PANM — Macky Sall, Senegal's former president, has withdrawn from the contest to become the next UN secretary-general, Africanews reports.
In a statement on social media on Saturday, he said he hoped to help a consensus candidate emerge. His announcement came a day after an informal straw poll in which all seven candidates received at least one veto from Security Council members.
How he got here
- Senegal at first declined to back his bid; Burundi nominated him.
- President Bassirou Diomaye Faye gave him Senegal's backing in July, after the two men met.
- In a July straw poll Sall received six votes encouraging him, seven discouraging him and two abstentions.
How the choice is made
A candidate needs nine "encourage" votes from the 15 members of the Security Council, and a "discourage" vote from any of the five permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, works in effect as a veto. The straw polls are not binding, and more rounds will be held before the final ballot.
Costa Rica's Rebecca Grynspan leads with seven positive votes, though she also drew five negative ones, two of them from permanent members. With Sall out, Uganda's Olara Otunnu is the only African still in the race. By tradition the post rotates between regions, and most of the candidates are from Latin America, whose turn it is this time.
Source: Africanews, 17 October 2026.
