Stalemate
in Election for Latin American and
The UN General Assembly election for the
non-permanent Latin American and Caribbean region seat on the Security Council is
at a stalemate. After 41 rounds of voting, neither
Guatemala nor Venezuela, the two official candidates, could garner two-thirds
of the 192 votes required to win the seat. There is no limit to the number of votes
that can be held. In 1979-80 a record 155 votes took place before Mexico was
chosen from the Latin American and Caribbean Group as a compromise candidate
because the General Assembly was unable to decide between Cuba and Colombia.
The General Assembly has now worked out a schedule for future balloting until
the end of the year.
Guatemala won 40 of the first 41 rounds. On
the first round Guatemala received 109 votes to Venezuela's 76 votes. On the
sixth round each side received 93 votes. The secret ballots in favour of Guatemala have fluctuated between 93 and 116 votes,
while Venezuela has received between 70 and 93. Mexico and Cuba entered the
race briefly on the fourth ballot, each garnering a single vote before pulling
out. The election rules permit any regional member state, with the exception of
members and outgoing members of the Security Council, to join the race after
the third ballot. No other Latin American or Caribbean country has entered the
race.
Ever since Venezuela announced its candidacy campaigning
for the seat has been intense. Venezuela joined the race specifically to
counter American influence and pressure over the choice of a Security Council
representative for Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Venezuela,
Guatemala is a proxy candidate for the U.S. and would not really represent the
interests of the region. Venezuela is
also seeking the seat to oppose American use of the Security Council to pursue
its hegemonic and aggressive policies around the world.
Five non-permanent seats on the Security
Council were up for election on October 16. Belgium, Indonesia, Italy and South
Africa were elected on the first round of balloting to serve a two-year term
starting 1 January 2007. Belgium and Italy were the only contenders for the two
seats reserved for the Western European and Other States, and they received 180
and 186 votes respectively, ensuring their election. South Africa, the only
candidate in the African group, was elected after picking up 186 votes. In
Asia, where there were two contenders; Indonesia received 158 votes and Nepal
received 28. The four new members will take the seats currently occupied by
Denmark, Greece, Japan and Tanzania when their terms on the Council end on 31
December. The fifth non-permanent seat, contested by Guatemala and Venezuela,
is currently occupied by Argentina.
The countries within the Latin American and Caribbean
Group are divided. Some countries,
such as Chile and Ecuador,
are refusing to vote for either candidate. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said:
"If we are to be respected as a region, we need to find solutions through
consensus: a representative that gathers wide support." The government of
Ecuador issued a press release explaining that "the two competitors,
Guatemala and Venezuela, are countries with which Ecuador has excellent
relations of friendship and cooperation" and that "in the face of a
likely regional polarization and divide, the Government of Ecuador has decided,
just like other countries such as Chile, not to take part in this
election."
Venezuela's ambassador to the UN, Francisco
Arias Cárdenas, said that his country backs the idea of designating a candidate
who hasoverall support at the General Assembly. However,
he asked that American UN ambassador, John
Bolton, stop putting pressure on other countries, so that they can choose
freely. "We agree that consensus can be reached, but the U.S. should let
countries elect freely and should not use money or the needs of the nations to
ask them to vote for one candidate or the other." Meanwhile, Bolton
declared that Venezuela should withdraw its candidacy. He said that
"Normally, the country that lags behind chooses to withdraw." He denied
claims that he is putting pressure on the UN member countries and said he is
simply providing "a rationale why the election of Venezuela would entail
problems, and explaining the merits of Guatemala."
This week the two countries held private talks
to find a compromise but without success. Neither Venezuela nor Guatemala are
willing to give up their ambitions for the seat. One alternative to the ongoing
balloting is that both countries agree to step aside to allow a third country
to take the seat. Costa Rica or the Dominican Republic are frequently mentioned
as alternatives. Both countries have expressed interest in seeking a seat next
year. Other choices that have been mentioned are Bolivia, Uruguay and Chile.
Still another possibility is that Venezuela and Guatemala share the
non-permanent seat with each occupying the position for 12 months.
Although it is almost certain that Venezuela
will not win the election, it is to its credit that it has raised another
challenge to the longstanding domination and interference of the U.S. in Latin
America and the Caribbean. It is also to the credit of Venezuela that it has
underlined once again the necessity for a fundamental reform of the Security
Council from being a self-serving tool of the big powers, especially the United
States, into a body that is accountable to the United Nations as a whole and
really promotes and defends international peace.