AG/RES. 1080 (XXI-O/91)
REPRESENTIVE DEMOCRACY
(Resolution adopted at the fifth plenary
session, held on June 5, 1991)
WHEREAS:
The Preamble of the Charter of the
OAS establishes that representative democracy is an indispensable condition for
the stability, peace, and development of the region;
Under the previsions of the Charter,
one of the basic purposes of the OAS is to promote and consolidate
representative democracy, with due respect for the principle of
non-intervention;
Due respect must be accorded to the
policies of each member country in regard to the recognition of states and
governments;
In view of the widespread existence
of democratic governments in the Hemisphere, the principle, enshrined in the
Charter, that the solidarity of the American states and the high aims which it
pursues require the political organization of those states to be based on
effective exercise of representative democracy must be made operative; and
The region still faces serious
political, social, and economic problems that may threaten the stability of
democratic governments,
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
RESOLVES:
1.
To instruct the
Secretary General to call for the immediate convocation of a meeting to the
Permanent Council in the event of any occurrences giving to the sudden or
irregular interruption of the democratic political institutional process or of
the legitimate exercise of power by the democratically elected government in
any of the Organization’s member states, in order, within the framework of the
Charter, to examine the situation, decide on and convene an ad hoc meeting of
the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, or a special session of the General Assembly,
all of which must take place within a ten-day period.
2.
To state that the
purpose of the ad hoc meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs or the special
session of the General Assembly shall be to look into the events collectively
and adopt any decisions deemed appropriate, in accordance with the Charter and
international law.
3.
To instruct the
Permanent Council to devise a set of proposals that will serve as incentives to
preserve and strengthen democratic systems, based on international solidarity
and cooperation, and to apprise the General Assembly thereof at its
twenty-second regular session.