The Paradox of Chile’s UN Bid: Only Bachelet’s Political Rivals Can Make It Work

Key Points

• Chile, Brazil, and Mexico jointly registered Michelle Bachelet’s candidacy for UN Secretary-General — 37 days before a far-right president takes office in Santiago
• If elected, the 74-year-old would be the first woman and only the second Latin American to lead the UN in its 81-year history
• President-elect José Antonio Kast, who won December’s runoff with 58% of the vote, refuses to say whether he will maintain the candidacy his government must now shepherd through

Gabriel Boric’s final weeks in La Moneda are producing an irreversible diplomatic fact.

On Monday, Chile‘s outgoing president formally registered Michelle Bachelet as a candidate to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General, jointly backed by Brazil and Mexico — the region’s two most populous nations.

Bachelet’s credentials are formidable by any standard. A two-time president, Latin America’s first female defense minister, founding director of UN Women, and former High Commissioner for Human Rights, she brings decades of multilateral experience.

Lula da Silva endorsed her on social media, arguing that after eight decades the UN must finally be led by a woman.

Yet the candidacy arrives wrapped in political tension. Boric‘s approval never recovered from lows around 22%, his coalition suffered its worst electoral showing since 1958, and voters chose José Antonio Kast — a hard-right Republican who has called Bachelet’s presidency “a disaster” — by a commanding 58-42 margin.

Bachelet Bid Faces Right Wing Resistance

The UDI congressional caucus unanimously urged Kast to withdraw support, with its leader arguing Bachelet “does not deserve this prize.” Right-wing commentator Axel Kaiser warned that a Bachelet-led UN would “make life impossible for a right-wing government.”

The right is not unanimous, however. UDI Senator Iván Moreira called ideological opposition “pettiness,” and Evópoli’s president argued a state candidacy should be respected regardless of who filed it.

A late-December Cadem poll found 52% of Chileans favored supporting Bachelet — though 68% of Kast’s own voters disagreed. The deeper obstacle may be Washington. Any Secretary-General needs approval from all five permanent Security Council members.

Trump’s administration has slashed UN funding by 15%, withdrawn from 31 agencies, and launched a rival “Board of Peace.”

Bachelet’s socialist profile, her clashes with Israel as Human Rights Commissioner, and sharp criticism from Uyghur groups and Human Rights Watch over her handling of China’s Xinjiang abuses make her a complicated sell at the Security Council.

She faces Argentine IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan, Mexico’s Alicia Bárcena, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley.

Conservative analyst Jorge Schaulsohn identified the core paradox: only Kast’s right-wing government could credibly lobby Washington on Bachelet’s behalf — yet Boric launched the candidacy without securing that support.

Kast takes office March 11. The UN’s interactive candidate dialogues begin in April. Whether this becomes a historic achievement for Latin America or an early casualty of Chile’s political earthquake depends entirely on a man who, for now, is saying nothing.

Related coverage: Brazil’s Morning Call | Chile Closes 2025 With a Surprise Growth Beat, but Mining Wo This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Chile affairs and Latin American financial news.

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