Macky Sall's UN Secretary-General candidacy faces varying interpretations after second straw poll

Sall received six "encourage" votes, seven "discourage" votes, and two "no opinion" votes, identical to his first-round score on July 30. Some Senegalese media outlets place Sall in fourth position, based solely on the number of "encourage" votes, an improvement from his fifth-place ranking after the first vote. This method positions him behind Argentina's Rafael Grossi, who has seven favorable mentions.

However, other media analyses, which incorporate unfavorable votes by calculating a net ratio, place Sall in sixth position, as his "discourage" votes outnumber his "encourage" votes. The Guyanese candidate, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, received eight "encourage" votes, three "discourage" votes, and four "no opinion" votes, and is seen by some as having gained a decisive advantage. This statistical ambiguity highlights the confidential and non-binding nature of the "straw poll," which lacks an official ranking method from the UN.

Each media outlet constructs its own hierarchy from the leaked figures, creating uncertainty about Sall's true trajectory in the race to succeed António Guterres.