Article 27 of the UN Charter, and rule 40 of the Provisional Rules of Procedure, concern voting in the Security Council.
Analysis of Security Council voting can be found in the Repertory of Practice of UN Organs and the Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council.
Most Security Council resolutions are adopted by vote.
Official voting information is found in:
In general, to be adopted, a draft resolution on a non-procedural matter must have the affirmative vote of nine members of the Council, including the concurring votes of the five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America.
A draft does not pass:
If the draft fails to win nine votes, or
If a permanent member casts a negative vote (veto)
Following a vote, the President of the Security Council announces the result. The way the vote result is announced indicates whether a veto was exercised (emphasis added).
Decisions taken by vote may be of two general types:
From the Repertoire website:
Most votes in the Council do not indicate by themselves whether the Council considers the matter voted upon as procedural or non-procedural. It can be determined, however, because permanent members do not have a “veto” over procedural matters. Therefore, if there is a negative vote by a permanent member, and the motion is still adopted, it is procedural in nature.
Information here about the types of vote has been adapted from the Repertoire of Practice of the Security Council, which includes more detailed analysis of the votes in the Council.
There are multiple sources for Security Council voting information, including:
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