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OAS and Honduras Sign Agreements for the Observation of Primary Elections

  October 24, 2012

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the Government of Honduras today signed an agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to be deployed for the primary elections of November 18, 2012. At the same time, the OAS and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Honduras signed an agreement on the Accompaniment Mission Procedures.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Tribunal by its president, Saúl Escobar Andrade, and on behalf of the Honduran government, by Foreign Minister Arturo Corrales. Former Chilean Minister, Enrique Correa Ríos, the Chief of the EOM for Honduras appointed by Secretary General José Miguel Insulza, signed both agreements for the OAS.

The signed documents provide the basis for the work to be performed by the EOM/OAS in the upcoming elections, safeguarding the independence of the Mission to implement its functions and ensuring the appropriate conditions to carry out its activities, which include free movement within the national territory and full cooperation with the electoral bodies that make up the Honduran electoral system.

Furthermore, the agreement with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal ensures full access to information required by the EOM/OAS, while the OAS commits to carry out its accompaniment functions within the framework of the sovereignty of the State and the Honduran Constitution.

The activity was held in the context of a preliminary visit by the Head of the EOM/OAS, Enrique Correa, to Honduras, which formally initiated the Mission. On this occasion, he will also meet with various electoral, governmental, and political officials, as well as representatives of the national and international community.

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

Reference: E-385/12