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Despite Opposition, Venezuela Gains Seat on U.N. Security Council
Venezuela was elected Thursday to one of the 10 non-permanent seats on the U.N. Security Council for the next two years, succeeding Argentina in one of two slots reserved for Latin American and Caribbean.
Facing no opposition within its region, Venezuela got the votes of 181 of the 193 member-states in the General Assembly.
This will be Venezuela’s fifth term on the Security Council and its first since 1993.
Caracas’ most recent previous bid, in 2006, ended in failure amid a protracted contest with rival candidate Guatemala that necessitated 47 rounds of voting by the General Assembly.
At the time, then-President Hugo Chavez accused the United States of pressuring countries to oppose Venezuela’s candidacy.
Washington took no official position on Venezuela’s aspirations this time, even after several senators called on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to try to prevent the Andean nation from gaining a seat on the council.
Angola, Malaysia and New Zealand also obtained seats in Thursday’s first round of balloting in the General Assembly, while Spain and Turkey will face off in a second round for the fifth and final spot to be filled.
Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania and Nigeria will continue to hold the other non-permanent seats for another year.
The Security Council’s five permanent members – the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France – each have the power to veto resolutions.
Published in Latino Daily News
Source: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/latino-daily-news/details/despite-opposition-venezuela-gains-seat-on-u.n.-security-council/31336#When:16:12:43Z
