E-094/00
May 1, 2000

OAS AND SURINAME GOVERNMENT SIGN ELECTORAL OBSERVATION AGREEMENT

 

As Suriname prepares to vote in general elections on May 25, the government has signed an agreement with the Organization of American States (OAS) for a team of OAS observers to monitor the process.

The agreement was signed April 29 in Suriname's capital Paramaribo. OAS National Office Director Dr. Joseph E. Edmunds signed on behalf of the Secretary General and Mr. Hendrik A. Alimahomed, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed on behalf of the Suriname government.

The agreement covers the privileges and immunities as well as terms under which the OAS observers will operate. An agreement was also signed between the OAS and the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Independent Electoral Commission of Suriname, covering "the electoral observation process."

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Edmunds, a former St. Lucian Ambassador in Washington explained why the OAS was involved in electoral observation missions around the hemisphere, highlighting a primary reason as being to bolster democratic governance in the member countries. He said the participation of all citizens in selecting their national, district and local leaders allows democratic political systems to function.

The OAS has observed elections in Suriname in 1991 and 1991, among others.

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