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OAS SECRETARY GENERAL NAMES A NEW CHIEF OF ELECTORAL OBSERVATION MISSION TO ECUADOR: CALLS FOR A RESOLUTION TO CONFLICT OF POWERS

  March 30, 2007

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today designated social scientist and former Chilean Minister Enrique Correa as his Personal Representative and new Chief of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission for the referendum of April 15, 2007. The appointment follows the designation of his predecessor, José Antonio Viera-Gallo, to be Chile’s Minister Secretary General of the Presidency.

Enrique Correa will assume his duties next week, continuing with the electoral monitoring efforts that the OAS has undertaken in Ecuador.

On the occasion of this announcement, the OAS Secretary General stated that he is following developments in Ecuador with concern. He expressed his hope that the will of the Ecuadorian people be realized through the referendum process, which could lead to constitutional changes. The Secretary General emphasized that this process will have the necessary legitimacy if it is carried out in a framework of absolute respect for the Democratic Rule of Law. It is essential, he said, that all political and social sectors contribute to this effort, in a peaceful, harmonious atmosphere which provides an opportunity for dialogue and consensus that is open to the range of existing interests, opinions and positions.

Insulza reiterated his call for the conflict of powers to be resolved through dialogue, the absolute subordination of institutions to the constitutional regime, and the complete respect for the principle of separation and independence of political powers. These are necessary conditions to which all of Ecuador’s democratic institutions must contribute so that the political process underway can be carried out in accordance with the principles of the OAS Charter and the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Reference: E-092/07