New York: Algeria, Guyana, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and South Korea have been elected to the United Nations Security Council. The tenure is two years from January 1, 2024. But Belarus was not elected to the council because of its alliance with Russia to invade Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Except for Slovenia, the countries were unopposed in the 15-member organization. But Slovenia was selected after beating Belarus. These countries have been selected instead of Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana and UAE.
Bolarus has been an unopposed candidate for the Eastern European seat since 2007. But Slovenia entered the race in December 2021 after a brutal crackdown by Belarusian authorities on protests following the 2020 presidential election.
Russia’s move to strategically deploy nuclear weapons in Belarus comes last month. This is the first time such weapons have been deployed outside Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
“Russia has always argued before the United Nations that many countries openly support Ukraine. But those countries are privately sympathetic to Russia,’ said Richard Gowan, UN director of the International Crisis Group.
The Security Council is the only council of the United Nations that has the power to take legal decisions such as imposing sanctions and authorizing the use of force. Its permanent members are Britain, China, Russia, America and France.
Regional groups are also given seats to ensure geographical representation on the council.
CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS: allied with Russia to invade Ukraine; Belarus to the U.N. Not elected to the Security Council
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2023-06-06 18:22:00
