OAS.

• Author: Montes, Javier
• Position: Organization of American States

translated by Charles J. Becker

Continuing a Mission in Peru

A SPECIAL OAS mission to Peru will promote dialogue among different sectors of society and monitor progress in strengthening democracy and implementing reforms. Former foreign minister Eduardo Latorre of the Dominican Republic is heading this effort.

The special mission will continue a process begun in late June when Canadian foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy and Secretary General Cesar Gaviria visited Peru, acting on a mandate from the OAS General Assembly. They held separate meetings with President Alberto Fujimori, former presidential candidate Alejandro Toledo, other opposition leaders and representatives of the media, the private sector, human rights groups, and other nongovernmental organizations. Axworthy and Gaviria then presented a series of proposals aimed at reforming the judicial system, increasing freedom of expression, restructuring the electoral system, improving congressional oversight, and bringing government intelligence services under civilian control, among other measures.

The Peruvian government, which had invited the OAS mission, said it would accept discussion of these topics with the political community and civil society. Opposition leaders also indicated they would participate in the process.

"Everyone recognizes that Peru is at a stage where change is necessary, it has to take place," Axworthy said during the visit.

The OAS General Assembly decided to send the high-level mission after intense discussions about a critical report issued by the OAS electoral observation mission to Peru. The observation mission had pulled out most of its team just before the second-round vote in Peru's May 28 presidential elections, saying the electoral process was "far from what could be considered free and fair."

The Electoral Beat Goes On

THE OAS CONTINUED this year's busy schedule of electoral observations, sending missions to Venezuela's July 30 general elections and to the August 13 vice presidential elections in Paraguay.

In Haiti, the OAS electoral observation mission suspended its activities two days before the second-round legislative elections of July 9, citing flaws in the method used to calculate results after the first round. The mission, headed by Orlando Marville of Barbados, said it considered the results of the May 21 first-round elections to be biased and in violation of Haiti's Constitution and electoral law.

Under Haitian law, a candidate needs over...