Macky Sall, President of Senegal, faces an uncertain path in his bid to succeed United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres following the Security Council’s initial informal straw poll on August 1, 2026. Sall received six votes in favour, seven against, and two abstentions in the non-binding poll. Several more rounds are expected before the final vote in the autumn.

Sall secured his country’s endorsement last month after Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye publicly supported his candidacy. However, Senegal’s ruling Pastef party continues to hold Sall responsible for the deaths of 80 people during protests in 2021 and 2023.

Ugandan politician and former UN Deputy Secretary-General Olara Otunnu, who entered the race late, received two votes in favour, five against, and eight abstentions.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica’s Rebecca Grynspan, head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, is widely regarded as the current frontrunner. She garnered 10 votes in favour, one against, and four abstentions in the straw poll.

The Security Council will conduct additional straw polls until a candidate secures the necessary nine votes without a veto from any of the five permanent members: the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia.

Sall is also scheduled to address the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2026.

Sources