Venezuela, Lebanon, SSudan lose UN voting rights over dues

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Venezuela, Lebanon and South Sudan are in arrears on paying dues to the United Nations’ operating budget and are among six nations that have lost their voting rights in the 193-member General Assembly, the U.N. chief said in a letter circulated Thursday.

Dominica, Equatorial Guidance, and Gabon are also losing their voting rights, Secretary General Antonio Guterres stated. Gabon has been elected to a two-year term in the Security Council. However, its voting rights there have not been affected.

According to the U.N. Charter, members who have arrears that exceed or equal the amount of their contributions over the previous two years are automatically disqualified from voting. But it also gives the General Assembly the authority to decide “that the failure to pay is due to conditions beyond the control of the member,” and in that case a country can continue to vote.

The General Assembly ruled that the three African countries listed on the list of nations with arrears — Comoros Sao Tome, Principe, and Somalia — could keep their voting rights. They were granted the same exemption as last year.

According to the secretary-general’s letter, the minimum payments needed to restore voting rights are $76,244,991 for Venezuela, $1,835,303 for Lebanon, $619,103 for Equatorial Guinea, $196,130 for South Sudan, $61,686 for Gabon, and $20,580 for Dominica.