2006: After 48 Votes, the U.S. Prevented Venezuela’s Election to the UN Security Council

The UN Security Council has five permanent members (the U.S., Russia, China, France and Britain) A negative vote “veto” by a permanent member prevents adoption of a proposal. The Security Council has ten temporary members that hold their seats on a rotating basis by geographic region. Non-permanent members are elected by the UN General Assembly for two-year terms with five replaced each year. To be approved, a country must receive at least two-thirds of all votes cast for that seat. The Latin America/Caribbean region has two of the non-permanent seats on the Security Council.

In mid-October 2006, the General Assembly was scheduled to hold an election for five of the non-permanent seats. Argentina’s two-years as a Latin America/Caribbean non-permanent member was expiring. Guatemala announced its candidacy in 2002. Venezuela announced its plans to seek a Security Council seat in 2004. The United States openly supported Guatemala and lobbied against Venezuela. John Bolton was the US Ambassador to the UN at the time and argued that Venezuela’s presence on the SC could disrupt plans to impose sanctions on Iran for its nuclear development program.[1]

Venezuela’s ambassador claimed that the US sought to sway the vote by issuing both promises of aid for supporting Guatemala and threats of financial retaliation against any developing country siding with Venezuela. [2] Other diplomats noted that Hugo Chavez, as leader of a major oil-producing nation, had signed numerous trade pacts while pursuing his campaign. [2] On September 20, Chavez made a speech before the UN General Assembly calling President George Bush “the devil” who thinks he is “the owner of the world.” The speech was seen as costing Venezuela support because it raised concerns of a Security Council bogged down in polemics. [3] Surveys showed that the US was deeply unpopular in much of the world three years after its invasion of Iraq. A group of countries wanted to make a point of standing up to the US by voting for Venezuela.[2] Venezuela’s UN ambassador proclaimed:” We are not competing with a brother country. We are competing with the biggest power on the planet.” [4]

With 192 members in the General Assembly, a favorable vote from 125 members was needed to claim the seat. The first secret vote was held on October 16. Guatemala received 109 votes to 76 for Venezuela. In five days of balloting over the span of three weeks, 47 votes were conducted. The most votes Guatemala received was 116 and for Venezuela it was 93. After the 47th vote, Guatemala and Venezuela agreed to withdraw and proposed Panama as a consensus candidate. Panama won the 48th vote on November 7 with 164 votes. The 2006 contest was the third longest non-permanent seat vote in UN history.

 

1.     Los Angeles Times, U.S. Is Aiming to Block Chavez, June 19, 2006

2.     Christian Science Monitor, In UN Political Drama, it’s all about the US, October 18, 2006

3.     New York Times, Venezuelan’s Diatribe at U.N. May Have Backfired, October 25, 2006

4.     Foreign Policy, A Nailbiter in New York, October 16, 2006

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