BharatNotes Veto
noun; verb (transitive)Usage in a UPSC answer
The absolute veto wielded by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council frequently paralyses collective action against humanitarian crises, fuelling demands from the Global South for a more representative and accountable architecture of multilateral governance.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
veto (n/v), vetoes (n pl/v), vetoed (v past), vetoing (v pres.p), vetoer (n)
Root
Latin vetō = I forbid; 1st person singular of vetāre = to forbid; used by Roman tribunes; in English from 1629
Etymology
From Latin vetō ("I forbid"), the first person singular present indicative of vetāre ("to forbid"); originally used by Roman tribunes of the people to oppose measures of the Senate; entered English in the early 17th century (earliest evidence from 1629).
Memory Hook
Latin veto = "I forbid" — picture a Roman tribune standing up and declaring "VE-TO!" to halt a Senate bill dead in its tracks; the power that says a firm "no".
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The power to block a decision unilaterally, held in the Security Council by its five permanent members. The mechanics are examinable in detail. A substantive resolution requires nine affirmative votes of fifteen including the concurring votes of the permanent members, but long practice has held that an abstention does not amount to a veto, so only a negative vote blocks. The veto does not apply to procedural questions, though whether a matter is procedural is itself substantive and therefore vetoable, which is the double veto. The most significant recent development is indirect rather than structural: General Assembly resolution 76/262, adopted by consensus on 26 April 2022 on Liechtenstein's initiative, requires the President of the Assembly to convene a formal meeting within ten working days of any veto, at which the vetoing state speaks first, so the cost of exercising it is now reputational exposure rather than nothing at all.
Don’t Confuse It With
A veto blocks a decision, and in the Security Council only a negative vote by a permanent member counts, since abstention has by settled practice not been treated as one. The double veto is the use of the veto to establish that a question is substantive rather than procedural, so that it may then be vetoed. A pocket veto keeps an item off the agenda altogether. Uniting for Peace is the 1950 Assembly procedure allowing action when the Council is deadlocked, which is a workaround rather than a limit on the veto itself.
Hindi Meaning
निषेधाधिकार (nishedhādhikār) or वीटो.
Common Questions
- Does an abstention count as a veto?
- No. Long-settled practice treats only a negative vote by a permanent member as a veto, so abstaining allows a resolution to pass.
- What did the 2022 veto initiative change?
- General Assembly resolution 76/262 requires a formal Assembly meeting within ten working days of any veto, with the vetoing state speaking first, raising the political cost of using it.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
