Charting a Democratic Charter.

• Author: Conaway, Janelle
• Position: Brief Article

OAS MEMBER countries have been polishing a draft Inter-American Democratic Charter, which aims to solidify and strengthen the commitment to democracy in the hemisphere.

The OAS General Assembly, which met June 3-5 in Costa Rica, instructed the Permanent Council to approve a final charter by September 10. It is scheduled to be formally adopted during a special session of the General Assembly planned for that date in Lima, Peru.

The working draft begins with a simple, clear affirmation: "The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy." It reaffirms that OAS member countries must have democratic governments and lays out basic characteristics of what that means, including free and fair elections, a pluralist political party system, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Drawing on language adopted in a "democratic clause" at the Third Summit of the Americas in April, the draft charter specifies that "any alteration or interruption of the democratic order in a member state of the OAS constitutes an insurmountable obstacle" to that state's participation in OAS bodies, and goes on to specify mechanisms that can be used when democracy is under threat. In San Jose, the General Assembly made "significant progress," according to Secretary General Cesar Gaviria, even though it did not adopt a final charter. Several Caribbean countries said they needed more time...