Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is set to face a public questioning session on Wednesday, April 22, as part of the race to succeed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, who steps down on December 31. Sall, 64, is competing against three candidates from Latin America, the region widely expected, under an informal rotation principle, to produce the next UN chief. ALSO READ: Burundi’s bid to pick Macky Sall for UN top role collapses after countries break silence These are Chile's former President Michelle Bachelet, Argentina's Rafael Grossi, a former diplomat who currently heads the International Atomic Energy Agency; and Costa Rica's former Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, who currently serves at the UN. All four candidates are undergoing public question-and-answer sessions with UN member states and civil society, a transparency measure introduced in 2016, though the final decision still hinges on the UN Security Council. The Security Council is expected to begin its formal selection process by the end of July. It is only on the Security Council's recommendation that the UN General Assembly can elect a secretary-general for a five-year term, which is renewable once. Sall’s candidacy was initially backed by Burundi in its capacity as chair of the African Union, but that effort collapsed after at least 20 AU member states broke a “silence procedure,” effectively blocking an automatic endorsement. Sall served as Senegal's President from 2012 to 2024.
