Libya denied the right to vote at the United Nations

Libya has been denied it’s voting right at the United Nations General Assembly due to accumulated debts.

The country joins 14 other countries including Bahrain, Venezuela, and Marshall Islands, who are in arrears in paying their annual contribution to the UN regular budget.

This means the countries cannot vote in the 193-member world body unless there are exceptional circumstances.

According to Article 19 of the UN Charter, a member state loses its right to vote in the General Assembly “ if the amount of its arrears equals or exceeds the amount of the contribution due for the preceding two full years,” says the charter.

The assembly did pass a resolution giving five poor and conflict-torn countries on the list the right to vote during the current session which ends in September – Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Somalia and Yemen.

Article 19 states that a member may be allowed to vote if the General Assembly “is satisfied that the failure is due to circumstances beyond the control of the Member”, a circumstance which the UN apparently has decided to deprive Libya, which is deemed able to afford its dues.

A minimum payment of $1.4 million is needed for Tripoli to regain its vote, according to a letter from Ban Ki-moon to the General Assembly.