What is veto power? Which member nations of the U.N. security council enjoy this special power and why?
The Security Council of the United Nations consists of 15 members, five of which are permanent. The permanent members are-U.S.A., England, France, Russia, and China. Ten members are non-permanent or temporary. These non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for a period of two years. The permanent members of the Security Council enjoy the power of Veto. Veto power is a special power of permanent members by which they can affect the decisions of the Security Council. To take a decision on any important issue, nine votes including five permanent members of the Security Council are required. If any permanent member of the Security Council casts its votes against the resolution, the decision cannot be taken. This practice is called the ‘Veto Power’. The term ‘Veto’ is originated from a Latin word that means, ‘I say no Remember, the absence of any permanent member from proceeding does not mean that it can cast its veto.
