India votes against Russia’s demand for secret ballot in UNGA

India votes against Russia’s demand for secret ballot in UNGA

Subject: International Relations

Context:

• India voted to reject Russia’s demand for a secret ballot in the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution to condemn Moscow’s illegal annexation of four regions of Ukraine, with New Delhi favouring a public vote on the text along with over 100 other nations.
• The 193-member UN General Assembly voted on a motion by Albania that action on the draft resolution that would condemn Russia’s illegal so-called referendums and attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine be taken by a recorded vote.
• Russia had demanded that the resolution be voted upon by secret ballot.
• A recorded vote on Russia’s appeal was held and India was among the 100 nations who voted against the challenge made by Moscow.
• Russia then sought reconsideration of the decision to adopt the motion submitted by Albania for a recorded vote.
• The General Assembly decided not to reconsider the motion after 104 nations, including India, voted against such a reconsideration, while 16 voted in favour and 34 abstained.
• Moscow’s demand for a secret ballot was rejected after 107 UN member states, including India, voted in favour of a recorded vote.
• Only 13 nations voted in favour of Russia’s call for a secret ballot while 39 abstained. Russia and China were among the countries that did not vote.
• After the motion to hold a recorded vote was adopted, Russia appealed against the ruling of the president of the general assembly.
• The 15-nation UN Security Council had voted on the draft resolution on Illegal So-Called Referenda in Ukraine, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin in a ceremony in the Kremlin had signed treaties to annex the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
• The resolution failed to get adopted as permanent UNSC member Russia vetoed it.
• Of the 15-nation council, 10 nations voted for the resolution and China, Gabon, India, as well as Brazil abstained.
• India has abstained on votes on the Ukraine conflict in the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

UNGA Resolutions:

• United Nations resolutions are formal expressions of the opinion or will of United Nations organs.
• A United Nations General Assembly Resolution is a decision or declaration voted on by all member states of the United Nations in the General Assembly.
• General Assembly resolutions usually require a simple majority (50 percent of all votes plus one) to pass.
• However, if the General Assembly determines that the issue is an “important question” by a simple majority vote, then a two-thirds majority is required;
  • “important questions” are those that deal significantly with the maintenance of international peace and security, admission of new members to the United Nations, suspension of the rights and privileges of membership, the expulsion of members, operation of the trusteeship system, or budgetary questions.
• Although General Assembly resolutions are generally non-binding towards member states.

Consensus vs unanimity

In the GA, a decision made by consensus does not require a vote. A unanimous decision is a decision on which all Member States present vote the same way

GA resolutions and GA decisions

• GA resolutions and GA decisions have the same legal status.
• GA resolutions reflect the views of the Member States, provide policy recommendations, assign mandates to the UN
• Secretariat and the subsidiary bodies of the GA and decideon all questions regarding the UN budget.With the exception of decisions regarding payments to theregular and peacekeeping budgets of the UN, GA resolutions/decisions are not binding for Member States. The implementation of the policy recommendations contained in resolutions/decisions is the responsibility of each Member State.Most resolutions are recurrent, i.e., they are adopted everyyear or in a multi-year rhythm under the same agenda item.GA decisions are divided into “elections” and “otherdecisions.” Most “other decisions” pertain to proceduralquestions and are generally very short
• A draft resolution/decision can be adopted by consensus or by a vote. Decisions in the GA are taken by simple majority or by a two-thirds majority.

 The GA Rules of Procedure list “important questions” requiring a two-thirds majority:

• maintenance of international peace and security
• the admission of new members
• the suspension and expulsion of members
• all budgetary questions.

The GA decides by a simple majority to include additional issues among the “important questions.” A majority is calculated based on the number of “members present and voting” (i.e., casting an affirmative or negative vote).

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA):

• The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the UN.
• All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
• The President of the General Assembly is elected each year by assembly to serve a one-year term of office.