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OAS Deploys Observers in Panama

  April 30, 2014

The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Panama, led by the former Peruvian Deputy and Congresswoman Lourdes Flores Nano, has begun the final deployment of the 56 international experts and observers ahead of the general elections on Sunday, May 4.

The Mission, composed of citizens of 15 member states and 5 observer countries to the OAS, is already present in the 10 provinces of the country, as well as in the counties. As part of their tasks, the members of the Mission will hold meetings with governmental authorities and local electoral officials, political party representatives and civil society. Moreover, a group of experts has been working for weeks on the monitoring of key aspects of the electoral process such as campaign financing, the participation of men and women in the election, the role of the media, electoral security, the vote abroad, and the resolution of electoral disputes.

During her third visit to the country, the Chief of Mission, who was designated to the post by the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, will meet with magistrates from the Electoral Tribunal, the Electoral Prosecutor and the presidential candidates, as well as with members of the diplomatic corps and international organizations accredited in the country. In this way the Mission will have direct information on the most relevant aspects of the electoral process in the country.

Just days before the election, the OAS Mission calls on the citizens of Panama to turn out in massive numbers to vote on Sunday as yet another show of their commitment to democracy in the country. On Monday, following the election, the Mission will publish a report with preliminary observations on the process and, once completed, will deliver a report to the Permanent Council of the OAS.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-175/14