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OAS AND SPAIN SIGN MEMORANDUM ON ELECTORAL OBSERVATION MISSIONS

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Permanent Observer of Spain to the hemispheric institution, Ambassador Javier Sancho, signed Wednesday a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to regulate how Spanish observers take part in OAS Electoral Observation Missions.

According to the MOU, Spain will suggest up to ten possible observers to the OAS General Secretariat to join an Electoral Observation Mission and will finance their travels. The OAS General Secretariat will fully integrate the observers within the mission and will finance both their daily allowances and their insurance premiums.

The signing took place at the office of the OAS Secretary General at the OAS Headquarters in Washington DC. Participants also included the OAS Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin, the Chairman of the OAS Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Canada to the OAS, Ambassador Graeme Clark, and the Director of the OAS Department of Cooperation and Electoral Observation, Mr. Pablo Gutiérrez, among others.

Secretary General Insulza said he was “very happy” with the signing, which he considered “a new sign of the close relationship” between the OAS and Spain. “The cooperation of Spain has been invaluable on issues related to electoral observation, which is a fundamental task and actually the only one specifically mentioned in the Inter-American Democratic Charter.”

“The material contribution of Spain, as well as that of its observers, has fundamentally helped to fulfill successfully these tasks. We are getting closer to the moment when a Spanish citizen will lead an OAS Electoral Observation Mission,“ Insulza said. In fact, the Secretary General mentioned that Spanish observers have already taken part in OAS Electoral Observation Missions in Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Panama.

Ambassador Sancho highlighted that the agreement is “the formal expression of Spain’s commitment to this organization. This commitment is not limited to our testimonial presence, nor to the rhetorical resource of mentioning our historical links to the Americas, nor even to the fact that, without being a Member State, we support with significant financial resources the work of this organization.”

“It is a political and strategic commitment, that shapes our cooperation and projects us to a common future as partners,” he said.

Ambassador Sancho said it was “a great honor and pride” to be able to sign the document on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, Miguel Angel Moratinos, and expressed his admiration for the work, vision and efforts of Mr. Pablo Gutiérrez as the head of the OAS Department of Cooperation and Electoral Observation.

“The experience and intelligent management of very complicated situations has made the brand name OAS synonymous with excellence in this delicate issue,” he said. “Electoral Observation deals with the essence of the democratic experience. For a democracy to exist, the electoral process must strictly be clean. The emphasis resides in the legitimacy of the result, which allows the popular sovereignty to transform itself into political representation and governments with legitimate power and authority.”

Reference: E-149/09