GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOLDS 13 MORE BALLOTS TO FILL SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT; VOTE DEADLOCKED BETWEEN GUATEMALA, VENEZUELA
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| Department of Public Information • News and Media Division • New York |
Sixty-first General Assembly
Plenary
36th & 37th Meetings (AM & PM)
General Assembly holds 13 more ballots to fill Security Council seat;
Vote deadlocked between Guatemala, Venezuela
The General Assembly today held 13 more rounds of inconclusive secret ballots to fill the non-permanent Latin American and Caribbean Security Council seat, with the vote deadlocked between Guatemala and Venezuela at virtually the same totals as when voting began three days ago.
Today’s balloting began with round 23, the tenth unrestricted vote, in which 190 members participated, five abstained, 108 voted in favour of Guatemala and 77 in favour of Venezuela. In today’s final vote -- round 35 -- 191 members participated and 7 abstained, with 103 votes cast for Guatemala and 81 for Venezuela.
The tally for each country has fluctuated little during the three days and neither has garnered the two-thirds majority necessary. The rules of procedure call for rounds of balloting to be clustered by threes into alternating restricted and unrestricted votes, with the latter allowing for the nomination of any State from the region. On the first day, Mexico and Cuba received votes during unrestricted balloting, but were excluded in the next round when only the top two candidates went forward. Today, Costa Rica received one vote during one round, while Bolivia received one vote in each of two consecutive rounds.
The seat to be filled on 1 January for a two-year term is to be vacated by Argentina, one of five non-permanent members, from the total of 10, whose term will finish on 31 December. On Monday, South Africa, Belgium, Italy and Indonesia were elected. The Congo, Ghana, Peru, Qatar and Slovakia will continue for the second of their two-year non-permanent terms, joining the five permanent members -- China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States.
Membership in the Council is determined on the basis of an agreed geographic allocation, which awards two seats to African and Asian countries, two to the Western European and Other group of States and one to the Latin American and Caribbean Group. Council elections are held by secret ballot in the Assembly, with formal balloting occurring even in regions where only one candidate is seeking a seat. No candidates were running this year from the fourth regional group of Eastern European States.
The next round of voting will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 25 October, at a venue to be announced.
The Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. Friday, 20 October, to take up the matter of cooperation between the United Nations and other organizations.
Background
The General Assembly met today for a third day of voting to elect from the Group of Latin American and Caribbean States one non-permanent member of the Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2007.
Voting Results
The results of the balloting were as follows:
Twenty-Third Round of Voting (tenth unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
190
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
190
Abstentions:
5
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
108
Venezuela:
77
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Fourth Round of Voting (eleventh unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
7
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
106
Venezuela:
79
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Fifth Round of Voting (twelfth unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
8
Required majority:
123
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
103
Venezuela:
81
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Sixth Round of Voting (thirteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
191
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
191
Abstentions:
7
Required majority:
123
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
104
Venezuela:
80
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Seventh Round of Voting (fourteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
191
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
191
Abstentions:
8
Required majority:
122
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
105
Venezuela:
78
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Eighth Round of Voting (fifteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
8
Required majority:
123
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
105
Venezuela:
79
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Twenty-Ninth Round of Voting (thirteenth unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
7
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
107
Venezuela:
77
Costa Rica:
1
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirtieth Round of Voting (fourteenth unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
7
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
107
Venezuela:
77
Bolivia:
1
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirty-First Round of Voting (fifteenth unrestricted)
Number of ballot papers:
192
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
192
Abstentions:
6
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
108
Venezuela:
77
Bolivia:
1
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirty-Second Round of Voting (sixteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
191
Number of invalid ballots:
2
Number of valid ballots:
189
Abstentions:
6
Required majority:
122
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
107
Venezuela:
76
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirty-Third Round of Voting (seventeenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
191
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
191
Abstentions:
6
Required majority:
124
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
108
Venezuela:
77
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirty-Fourth Round of Voting (eighteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
190
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
190
Abstentions:
6
Required majority:
123
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
108
Venezuela:
76
With no country having received the required majority, the Assembly held another ballot.
Thirty-Fifth Round of Voting (sixteenth restricted)
Number of ballot papers:
191
Number of invalid ballots:
0
Number of valid ballots:
191
Abstentions:
7
Required majority:
123
Number of votes obtained:
Guatemala:
103
Venezuela:
81
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For information media • not an official record