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OAS Assistant Secretary General Calls on the Caribbean to Strengthen its Electoral Democracies

  September 2, 2010

The Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, today opened a regional consultation on political party strengthening and campaign financing in Kingston, Jamaica, stressing the importance of further democratizing the electoral processes in the Caribbean region.

“I strongly believe this regional meeting is both timely and important, given the upcoming new round of constitutionally-due general elections that will take place in several CARICOM countries beginning in early 2011,” Ambassador Ramdin said.

The two-day meeting will analyze model legislation on the registration and regulation of political parties and on campaign financing, formulated under the auspices of the OAS.

“The ability of candidates to raise funds, to form political parties and to organize solid electoral campaigns is, today, the central challenge to electoral democracy in the hemisphere,” the Assistant Secretary General stressed. “Through this meeting, the Organization aims to generate important insights for the general secretaries of the various political parties on some of the more salient issues regarding campaign and party financing in the region—registration of political parties, disclosure and enforcement.”

The two-day gathering, a joint effort with the Elections Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), will bring together the general secretaries of the governing and main opposition political parties in CARICOM Member States.

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller, along with other politicians and electoral experts, are participating in the discussion and debate on this important issue.

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

Reference: E-312/10