Lebanon stripped of UN voting rights over unpaid annual dues
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Sulaiman
- . January 21, 2023
- . Update: January 21, 2023 3:01 pm
Lebanon has been stripped of its voting rights at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over failure to pay its unpaid annual dues, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Guterres said that the Lebanese government must pay arrears of about $1.8 million to regain its voting rights at the UN. Among many other countries stripped by the UN of voting privileges in the General Assembly include Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, South Sudan and Venezuela.
Under Article 19 of the Charter of the United Nations, a country can lose its voting rights at the UN over failure in the payment of dues that equals or exceeds the contributions due for two preceding years, unless a country can show that inability to pay dues is beyond its control.
Lebanon has been suffering due to an economic crisis since 2019. Lebanon’s financial system collapsed because of mismanagement and corruption. The Beirut port explosion further affected the financial system of the country. Political problems also enhanced poverty in Lebanon. The World Bank has estimated that Lebanon is in a recession. The Lebanese currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its value.
Read | Around 2 million people facing food insecurity in Lebanon, says UN
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry has said that the debt would be paid immediately in order to regain voting rights at the UN.
The Lebanese Parliament has failed to elect a new president in the country. Lebanon has been operating in a caretaker capacity since May. Reportedly, a two-thirds majority is required in the first round of voting to win the race to be president in the 128-seat parliament.
The two independent MPs, Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba, reportedly announced that they would stay in parliament until a president is elected.
Khalaf urged people to elect a president in the country. Khalaf also called for successive sessions in parliament “without interruption.”
