On 21 August 2026, the Security Council held its second informal straw poll for the succession of Mr António Guterres. President Macky Sall's candidacy gains a place there and rises to fourth. Its base of encouragements held steady while the field reshuffled.
A place gained in three weeks. At the first straw poll, on 30 July, the candidacy stood fifth; at the second, it stands fourth. Its base of support held, and its ranking rose as the positions tightened around it.
Halving the gap. On 30 July, the front-runner led the candidacy by four votes. On 21 August, the lead was down to two, and the distance to first place had halved in three weeks.
Support from the continent. The movement reads outside the Council too. Forty-one African states back the candidacy, following the recent rallying of Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania. On 14 August, in Cotonou, civil society organizations from four regions of the continent launched their own drive behind the same candidate.
Timetable of the process. The Council does not publish the result of its consultations, and no date is yet set for what follows. President Macky Sall's candidacy is maintained to the end of the process, and the work continues with each delegation.
The experience behind the candidacy. In the Council as on the continent, the candidacy rests on twelve years as head of state and on the chairmanship of the African Union in 2022. Those years explain why the vision statement filed with the United Nations frames its proposals as obligations: peace and security conceived with development; a renewed multilateralism; stronger governance of the Organization.
Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
The Security Council does not publish the result of its consultations; the figures were reported by the press on 21 August 2026. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net