Former Senegal President Macky Sall Officially Enters UN Secretary-General Race

DAKAR, Senegal — March 3, 2026
Updated: March 3, 2026 – GMT

Former President of Senegal Macky Sall has been formally nominated as a candidate for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, the United Nations confirmed on Monday. Burundi submitted Sall’s nomination to the President of the UN General Assembly, according to a UN spokesperson.

A United Nations General Assembly spokesperson, La Neice Collins, said the letter of nomination from Burundi designates Sall, who led Senegal from 2012 until 2024, as a candidate in the ongoing selection process for the world body’s next chief.

Sall is one of three formally nominated candidates in the race to succeed António Guterres when his second term ends on December 31, 2026. The other two are former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and Argentine diplomat Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

A UN official said that “The President of the General Assembly has received a new nomination for the Secretary-General selection process. It is Macky Sall, the former President of Senegal. He was nominated by the Republic of Burundi.”

Sall’s tenure as Senegal’s head of state ended in April 2024 after he did not seek another term due to constitutional limits. Bassirou Diomaye Faye succeeded him following the March 2024 election.

The UN selection process requires candidates to be nominated by one or more member states. The Security Council is expected to begin formal consideration of candidates by the end of July, ahead of a General Assembly vote to choose the next Secretary-General for a five-year term starting January 1, 2027.

Senegal’s current government has not issued an official position on Sall’s nomination. Some Senegalese officials have previously criticised his administration’s handling of economic data during his presidency, but there has been no state confirmation of support or opposition to his bid.

The candidacy carries Pan-African significance because it highlights the continent’s engagement in shaping leadership at the United Nations, where African priorities on peace, development, climate, and governance are central to diplomatic agendas. An African candidate for the UN’s top post underscores the region’s role in global multilateral decision-making and could influence how African issues are advanced in international policy forums.