Libya, Venezuela Lose UN Vote Due to Unpaid Contributions

The UN has denied Venezuela and Libya the right to vote because of millions of dollars of upaid dues to the world body.

The two countries lose the right to vote in the 193-member global organization for the third consecutive time.

According to a letter from Guterres to the Assembly president, Venezuela must pay a minimum of $25,200,296 to restore its voting rights, and Libya must pay at least $6,594,842.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informed the General Assembly in late January that 14 countries including Venezuela and Libya were in arrears.

The other countries that lost their voting rights are Central African Republic, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Marshall Islands, Surinam and Yemen. Equatorial Guinea, which is on the Security Council, also lost its vote right.

The General Assembly exempted in a resolution four countries despite being in arrears : Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe and Somalia.

The UN rules allow exceptions for member states that face extraordinary situations or when “conditions beyond their control contributed to the inability to pay.”