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OAS and Ecuador Sign Agreement for Observation of May 7 Referendum and Popular Query

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the OAS, Ambassador María Isabel Salvador, signed an agreement today for the Referendum and Popular Query to take place in the South American country on May 7, 2011. The agreement pertains to the privileges and immunities granted to the Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS to safeguard its independence in the exercise of its observation duties.

During a signing ceremony, Secretary General Insulza recalled the “positive and long” relationship between the hemispheric organization and the government of Ecuador “regarding all aspects of the electoral process,” and in particular the fact that “since the time I have been Secretary General we have observed an important number of elections and referendums” in that country.

Furthermore, he asserted that he hopes “that the fact itself of the referendum and the voices of more than ten million Ecuadorians on this query will contribute to strengthen even more the process of democratic change that has been taking place in your country for some years.” Finally, he thanked the “show of confidence” that the request for electoral observation made by the Ecuadorian government represents to the OAS.

For her part, Ambassador Salvador said the Electoral Observation Missions of the OAS “constitute a very effective and efficient tool for promoting the defense and consolidation of democracy,” and in particular that the participation of the EOM in the electoral process of May 7 is the result of a request based “on the very positive experiences of various electoral processes conducted in recent years in my country.”

She recalled that the government of Ecuador has “a clear commitment with democracy and with the transparency of electoral processes that guarantees that the people will choose freely through their vote the authorities that will conduct the country’s destiny as well as its political, economic and social system, and the changes that are required.”

The OAS was invited by the Republic of Ecuador on Mary 25, 2011, to observe the different stages for the Referendum and Popular Query of May 7, 2011, a day on which more than 10.5 million Ecuadorians will vote on five questions in the Referendum and five questions in the Popular Query.

This EOM, headed by Dr. Enrique Correa, will conduct a preliminary visit to Ecuador to analyze the electoral and political environment for the voting, and will begin installations at the beginning of May. Observers will begin their work on May 4.

Since 1968, the OAS has followed and/or observed a total of 13 electoral processes in Ecuador, including presidential and legislative elections, and the Constitutional referendum.

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

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

Reference: E-624/11