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Marrakech – Former Senegalese President Macky Sall will press ahead with his candidacy for the post of United Nations Secretary-General despite the African Union’s refusal to endorse him, his communication team announced on Saturday.
The AU confirmed on Friday that 20 of its 55 member states had objected to a draft decision backing Sall’s candidacy. The threshold for rejection under the bloc’s “silent approval” procedure required objections from more than one-third of eligible members. The 20 dissenting states cleared that bar, effectively killing the proposal.
“The draft decision relating to the candidacy of His Excellency Macky Sall, former President of the Republic of Senegal, for the post of UN Secretary-General has not been adopted,” the AU stated in a verbal note addressed to the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa.
Sall’s camp, however, disputed the final count. According to a statement from his communication office, Egypt and Liberia later withdrew from the list of objecting states. That brought the total down to 13 countries maintaining their objections and five requesting an extension of the deadline, for a combined 18. His team declared that his candidacy “remains maintained.”
The bid had been proposed earlier this month by Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye, whose country holds the AU’s rotating presidency. It quickly drew opposition from several key member states.
Senegal itself was among the most vocal critics. Dakar’s permanent mission to the AU stated that it had “at no stage” endorsed Sall’s candidacy and “was not associated with the initiative.”
The rejection reflected the tense relationship between Sall and the current Senegalese government led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who accuse their predecessor of plunging the country into debt and overseeing a violent crackdown on political protests that left at least 65 people dead between 2021 and 2024.
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Nigeria also opposed the move, arguing that endorsing Sall would violate the principle of geographic rotation. Under that tradition, it is Latin America and the Caribbean’s turn to produce a UN chief.
Sall has long maintained a close and personal relationship with Morocco and King Mohammed VI. During his presidency from 2012 to 2024, he repeatedly described the Morocco-Senegal bond as a cornerstone of Dakar’s foreign policy, rooted in centuries-old cultural, religious, and economic ties.
Senegal opened a diplomatic consulate in Dakhla in 2021, reinforcing its alignment with Rabat on the Western Sahara issue. Sall also identified Morocco as Senegal’s top economic partner in Africa and the first country to sign a bilateral agreement with the West African nation.
He has been based in Marrakech since leaving office, following a tradition in which Morocco hosted former Senegalese presidents, including Léopold Sédar Senghor in Tangier.
The race to succeed Portuguese diplomat António Guterres, whose mandate expires at the end of 2026, has drawn several prominent candidates.
Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has the backing of Chile, Brazil, and Mexico. Rafael Mariano Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2019, was put forward by Argentina. Former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan and Argentine diplomat Virginia Gamba are also in the running.
To secure the post, any candidate must first obtain the approval of the UN Security Council, which requires at least nine votes out of 15 with no veto from any of the five permanent members. The General Assembly then confirms the appointment by acclamation.
The next Secretary-General is set to begin a five-year term on January 1, 2027. Many member states have also called for a woman to hold the position for the first time in the organization’s history.
