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Challengers for U.N. chief lack official standing

The U.N. is considering one candidate for secretary-general in 2022 — incumbent António Guterres — despite the emergence of self-nominated challengers.

The United Nations complex overlooking Manhattan's East River
The United Nations complex overlooking Manhattan's East River (AN/John Gillespie)

UNITED NATIONS (AN) — The U.N. General Assembly plans to interview just one candidate for secretary-general starting in 2022 — incumbent António Guterres — despite Thursday's emergence of another self-nominated challenger who has no official standing in the race due to lack of a government endorsement.

Three days after UNGA President Volkan Bozkir scheduled an "informal interactive dialogue" between Guterres and diplomats to discuss his candidacy early next month, U.K.-based political initiative Forward announced that Rosalìa Arteaga, Ecuador's first female head of state in the 1990s, would seek to replace Guterres, who will finish his first term at the end of this year. Most of his eight predecessors, all men, served two five-year terms.

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