Macky Sall: “Why I decided to withdraw my UN candidacy”

Macky Sall announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy for UN secretary-general in a statement published in Marrakech on October 17, 2026. He said informal voting had favored a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean, possibly a woman, and that he wanted to help produce a consensus choice within the Security Council. Sall said he made the decision after the Council’s October 16 vote and consultations with Évariste Ndayishimiye and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and thanked his supporters and the states that voted for him. He said he remained committed to the ideals behind his candidacy.