San José, Costa Rica.- At the thirty-first regular session of the OAS General Assembly, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, César Gaviria, warmly congratulated Dr. Alejandro Toledo for his victory in the Sunday, June 3 elections. On July 28, Dr. Toledo will become the next constitutional president of Peru. The Secretary General highlighted the president elect’s strong, unwavering history of fighting for and protecting democracy.

In his statement, the Secretary General also congratulated the Peruvian people who cast their votes, in an exemplary, transparent manner and showing its civic sophistication, to elect a government that will steer the fate of Peru for the next five years.

He also presented his compliments to the president of the provisional government of Peru, Dr. Valentín Paniagua, and congratulated him for the extraordinary work done to create conditions for a full return to the democratic institutional framework in Peru, which he orchestrated together with the brilliant management of Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.

Regarding the June 3 elections, the OAS Secretary General praised Dr. Alan García Pérez, whose attitude reaffirmed his democratic convictions.

Finally, Gaviria noted his deep satisfaction with political developments in Peru in the last two years and with the Organization’s involvement through its electoral observation missions, headed by Eduardo Stein and the special mission that led to the Platform on Dialogue, headed by Eduardo Latorre, both of which helped to strengthen democratic institutions in that member state.

**********