Former Senegalese president Macky Sall withdraws from race to lead the UN

Macky Sall announced on Saturday that he was withdrawing from the race to succeed the United Nations secretary-general after an informal Security Council vote produced no consensus candidate. All seven candidates still in the running received at least one negative vote from a permanent council member, equivalent to a veto. Sall, who led Senegal from 2012 to 2024, said he would now help efforts to find a consensus candidate. Initially backed by Burundi, his candidacy faced opposition in Senegal, including from critics who accused him of concealing part of the public debt.