00:00Senegal's former president, Maki Sal, is pulling out of the race to lead the United Nations.
00:06The announcement comes one day after an informal straw poll by UN Security Council members
00:12saw all seven candidates receive at least one veto.
00:17In a statement on social media, Sal said he hoped to contribute now to the emergence of a consensus candidate.
00:26Candidates need nine positive votes from the council's 15 members.
00:31Discouraged votes from any of the body's five permanent members effectively constitute a veto.
00:38After Friday's poll, Costa Rica's Rebecca Grinspan remains the frontrunner,
00:43but she also got five discouraged votes, including two from permanent members.
00:49Most of the seven candidates are from Latin America.
00:53Sal's withdrawal leaves Uganda's Olara Otunu as the only African contender.
