MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS observation mission will be present during Bolivia's October elections

Insulza and Bolivian representative Pary (L) during the signing ceremony at OAS headquarters in Washington

The Organization of American States (OAS) and Bolivia signed on Friday the agreement on privileges and immunities for the Electoral Observation Mission, (EOM) to be deployed to the general elections to be held in Bolivia on 12 October.

The agreement was signed by OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza and Diego Pary, permanent representative of Bolivia before OAS.

“OAS Electoral Observation Missions are very important for our countries, considering that a democratic process is based on the participation of citizens in the elections“ said Pary who then highlighted the role played by OAS through these missions and stated that ”in 32 years of democracy in Bolivia we have had elections that have increasingly grown in terms of public participation“.

”Over the last 10 years we have had 7 elections in which the OAS has played an important role by ensuring transparency, participation, integrity and reliability,“ said Pary and concluded by thanking the hemispheric institution on behalf of the Bolivian people for its contribution to help strengthen democracy in this country.

For his part, Insulza recalled the institution's commitment to democracy and electoral processes in the Hemisphere commenting that in the case of Bolivia, ”every time a mission is deployed, it has been possible to verify the progress made and we are confident that this time will be no different“.

OAS leader recalled that ”since 1994 we have deployed 14 electoral observation missions in Bolivia, the most recent was the election of the highest authorities of the judiciary and the constitutional court in 2011; the departmental and municipal and general elections in 2010 and the referendum for the approval of the new constitution of 2009.“

”As we know, during the elections of next October the Bolivian people will elect the President and Vice President, 36 members of the Senate and 130 members of the House of Representatives,” said Insulza and announced that to lead the Mission he has appointed former President of Guatemala Alvaro Colom, and stressed his experience and commitment to democracy.

The agreement responds to a request from the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, asking the OAS to deploy an Observation Mission for the October General Elections