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Second Latin American Democracy Forum in Mexico to Discuss the Link between Politics, Money, and Power

- Organized by the OAS, IFE and International IDEA

- Participants include José Miguel Insulza, Martin Torrijos, Luis Castiglioni and Alvaro Uribe, among others

The Second Latin American Democracy Forum, organized jointly by the OAS, the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) of Mexico and International IDEA, will be held from December 6 to 8, 2011, in the “Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso” in Mexico City. The event will be a space for discussion and dialogue on current and future problems faced by democracies in the region, mainly the relationship between politics and money in a democratic system, its implications, the distortions that may arise, and questions related to the inappropriate use of political funds, loss of confidence in the system and the legitimacy of access to government.

The forum will serve as the platform to launch the report "Politics, Money and Power: a dilemma for democracy" prepared by the OAS, which analyzes, among other issues, the impact of citizens' demands and the influence of money in politics; the effectiveness of regulations on political finance and the consequences of not having enough rules on this matter; equal electoral opportunities; democracy and media pluralism; the impact of crime-related money and the discrimination of women in political financing.

The document states that Latin-American democracy suffers various threats, ranging from the possible inclusion of money in politics without adequate transparency and regulation mechanisms, to security issues where power limits the application of development policies to improve living conditions in the region. In that context, it considers that these challenges, at times, "undermine the authority of the State and cause a decrease in its ability to be a sovereign authority over the various factors of power.”

Three topics will be discussed at the second edition of the Democracy Forum, “Politics, Money and Power," elaborated in detail through debates that will discuss financing and its relationship to politics; political parties, the media, and social inequality; and the crisis of legitimacy of democracies. The event will also serve to take stock of the achievements and accomplishments of the Inter-American Democratic Charter on the occasion of its tenth anniversary in 2011.

Renowned politicians, diplomats, journalists and experts will participate in the three-day event, including: the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Patricia Espinosa; the Minister of the Interior of Mexico, Alejandro Poiré; the President of IFE, Leonardo Valdes; the former President of Panama, Martín Torrijos; the former President of Bolivia, Carlos Mesa; the former President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe; the Regional Director of IDEA International, Daniel Zovatto; the former Vice President of Paraguay, Luis Castiglioni; FLACSO Secretary General Francisco Rojas; the Congresswoman from Guatemala Otilia Lux de Coti; and the Head of Government of Mexico City, Marcelo Ebrard.

The event’s complete agenda is available here (Only available in Spanish).

The first Latin American Democracy Forum took place from October 11 – 14, 2010, in Mexico City, and served as a space to present different testimonials on the state of democracy in the region. On that occasion, two reports were presented: "Our Democracy," prepared by the OAS and the UNDP, and the "Survey on Governance and Democratic Coexistence," by the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO).

The Second Forum is open to the press. To register please visit the forum’s website.

WHAT: Second Latin American Democracy Forum: "Politics, Money, and Power”

WHEN: December 6 to 8, 2011

WHERE: Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso

Justo Sierra 16, Centro Histórico

Mexico City, Mexico

Reference: E-991/11