This Wednesday, April 22, Macky Sall will deliver his major address before the United Nations General Assembly. The former Senegalese president will have three hours to convince the assembly that his candidacy is the best for the position of UN Secretary-General.
So far, Sall has been the most media-prominent candidate. His candidacy, proposed to the African Union by Burundi and rejected by about twenty countries including Senegal, has sparked considerable discussion. Several of his close associates have commented extensively on Senegal's refusal to support his bid, not to mention posts from affiliated accounts promoting his profile.
However, for some UN experts, excessive media exposure is not a good thing for a candidate for the UN Secretary-General post. "Macky Sall prioritizes media visibility, as if he wants to compensate for a diplomatic weakness," an African diplomat told Jeune Afrique on condition of anonymity. Furthermore, the pan-African media outlet points to a shadow over the former Senegalese president's candidacy: a campaign with "a generally informal communication strategy, conducted through social media, without an identifiable nerve center."
Another UN expert, interviewed by Jeune Afrique, echoed this sentiment. For him, hyper-media exposure can be a handicap for a candidate. "Unlike a classic election, it's not about convincing a broad public opinion, but about reaching an acceptable balance for Security Council members, especially the P5 (the five permanent UN members). In this context, excessive visibility can become a handicap because a highly media-driven campaign, structured around endorsements and a discourse emphasizing one's own legitimacy, could be perceived as a form of politicization of the process, or even as a manifestation of ambition deemed inappropriate," he said.
The example of Vuk Jeremic was recalled. The former Serbian foreign minister opted for a highly visible campaign in 2016, only to be sidelined in favor of António Guterres, who had chosen a more institutional approach.
Mouhamed CAMARA
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