United Nations Security Council or UNSC has 5 permanent members. This is known to all. It has been a general point of contention between many political parties in India. The political parties have been using this position to veto as an issue since the Independence of the country. It is informed that India would also have been in the position of the permanent members of the security council which is capable of using veto power.
Let us know in detail what veto power is, which countries have the veto power, what are its uses and the occasions it has been used.
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What is Veto Power?
It is the power provided to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, to veto any substantive resolution. It is also to be noted that any members abstention from voting does not prevent the draft resolution from being adopted. Procedural votes are not counted for the veto power usage.
One of the major usages of the veto power can be to block the selection of a Secretary-General of the Council.
Origin of Veto Power:
It is stated in Article 27 of the UN Charter. The Charter states:
- Each member of the Security Council shall have a vote.
- Decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members.
- Decisions of the Security Council on all other matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members; provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI, and under paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting
Beyond permanency itself, the veto power is probably the UN Charter’s most significant distinction between permanent and non-permanent members. Article 27 (3) of the Charter establishes that all substantive decisions of the Council must be made with “the concurring votes of the permanent members”.
The idea of a veto over the actions of international organisations was not new in 1945. In the League of Nations, every member of the League Council had a veto on any non-procedural issue.
The League Council had expanded by 1936 to have 4 permanent and 11 non-permanent members, which meant that there were 15 countries with veto power.
How Many Countries Have Veto Power?
The five permanent members of the security council have veto power. These are:
- China
- France
- Russia
- United Kingdom
- The United States of America
While many critics find it undemocratic and the reason to incite war, supporters find it an instrument to maintain stability in the world. However many say that it is the way of the world to avoid US Domination.
How many times has the Veto Power been used?
Over the years, the USSR/Russia has cast a total of 143 vetoes, or close to half of all vetoes. The US cast the first of its 83 vetoes to date on 17 March 1970.
The USSR had by that point cast 107 vetoes. Since 1970, the US has used the veto far more than any other permanent member, most frequently to block decisions that it regards as detrimental to the interests of Israel. The UK has used the veto 32 times, the first such instance taking place on 30 October 1956 during the Suez crisis.
France applied the veto for the first time on 26 June 1946 with respect to the Spanish Question and has cast a total of 18 vetoes.
China has used the veto 16 times, with the first one, on 14 December 1955, cast by the Republic of China (ROC) and the remaining 13 by the People’s Republic of China after it succeeded ROC as a permanent member on 25 October 1971.
Things changed after Col War 1991. France and the UK have not cast a veto since 23 December 1989 (S/21048) when, in tandem with the US, they prevented condemnation of the US invasion of Panama. China, which has historically used the veto the least, has become increasingly active on this front and cast 13 of its 16 vetoes since 1997. Russia cast 24 vetoes in this period, whereas the US has resorted to the veto 16 times since the end of the Cold War.
Since 2011, Russia cast 19 vetoes, 14 of which were on Syria. The remaining Russian vetoes since 2011 were against two resolutions related to the conflict in Ukraine, one on the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, one on sanctions against Yemen, and one on Venezuela.
Eight of the nine Chinese vetoes during this period were over Syria and one was on Venezuela.
The US cast three vetoes since 2011, all of them on Israel/Palestine issues.
So, to sum it up, a veto that originally means 'I forbid' is used by permanent members of the Security Council. It has been a point of contention for many years, even in Indian politics. Russia, China, the United States, China, and France have all used it for their own benefits and political gains. The current situation in Ukraine has made people of the world question this veto power of the members once again.
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