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Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM |
OAS Permanent Council Urged Haiti to Hold Overdue Elections and Convened a Special General Assembly on Strategic Vision
By OAS
Aug 28, 2014 - 8:47:14 AM
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The
Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today
adopted a Declaration calling on the three branches of government of
Haiti to comply with the agreement knows as El Rancho and to call
legislative and municipal elections by the end of
2014, and also convened a Special General Assembly on the Strategic
Vision for the Organization to be held on
Friday, September 12.
The Chair of the Permanent Council and Representative of Saint Lucia, Ambassador Sonia Johnny, said the
Declaration on Haiti supports “the efforts of a member state to be
able to hold elections in accordance with the terms of its constitution
and with other agreements."
Introducing the resolution, the Permanent Representative of Haiti,
Edmond Bocchit, recalled the support given by the Council to the El
Rancho Accord which provided for the holding of elections on
October 26
and which he described as "a step in the right direction."
"Unfortunately this agreement is now facing great difficulties; you
supported us, encouraged all actors to respect their commitments, and
today I come to seek the solidarity of the OAS and its member states
regarding a situation facing our nation, because
we know that the well-being of Haiti's democracy must be a priority for
the region," said Ambassador Bocchit.
The Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, explained the
scope and impact of the situation in Haiti and said that if the
elections are held as scheduled in the agreement, “on the first of
January if there are no elections Haiti will be left without
a Senate, therefore we’ll be left without a constitutional institution.
“ He said that the OAS “is prepared to support the democratic process
in Haiti, especially the elections, in accordance to the Constitution
and the laws of the country,” and assured the
Council that the OAS will continue to accompany the political process
through high level visits, the presence of an office in Haiti, and the
work of the Group of Friends of Haiti in Washington DC.
The leader of the hemispheric Organization added that “the international
community, including the OAS, can only assist in this process of
democratic consolidation and then only upon the request of the
legitimately elected Government of Haiti. From this perspective
we hope that all stakeholders in the political process continue to work
together to create the best circumstances for stability and growth and
security.” He insisted that the Organization “hopes that the dialogue
that started at the beginning of the year will
continue and that all those who are not part of this process should be
encouraged to take part,” as this is the best channel to voice all their
concerns and needs.
The adopted resolution states that all parties fully honor “their
political commitments as well as the legal and constitutional
obligations to facilitate the speedy organization of elections necessary
for the renewal of the mandates of legislative and municipal
authorities"; and urges all state powers "to continue the dialogue in
order to fulfill, as a matter of urgency, their obligations under the
Constitution and the El Rancho Accord for the purpose of ensuring the
holding of elections in 2014."
On this, the Secretary General Insulza noted that Article 3 to the El
Rancho clearly speaks of the Constitution, "and this is a wider approach
that takes us in the direction of Article 156 of the Constitution which
relates to the responsibility of the President
regarding governance and the functioning of the democratic
institutions.”
STRATEGIC VISION
On another agenda item, the Council agreed to convene a Special General Assembly on
September 12 to advance the debate on the
Strategic Vision.
The original initiative was proposed two years ago by Secretary General
Insulza and aims to adapt the mandates of the Organization to the
reality of the twenty-first
century, in order to rationalize and leverage the financial resources
of the hemispheric institution in line with its objectives.
The Permanent Representative of Mexico and Chair of the Working Group of
the Permanent Council on the Strategic Vision, Emilio Rabasa, clarified
that the meeting is not "the end of a process that will conclude with
the upcoming Assembly, rather it is a step,
but a very important step in the long process of modernization,
upgrading and updating of the structure and practice of our Organization
to meet the new international context."
For his part, Secretary General Insulza recalled that convening the
Special General Assembly to discuss the issue was mandated by the last
OAS General Assembly that took place in June in Paraguay. The OAS leader
also said that although he believes that the
Special General Assembly will be an important milestone in the
discussion of the Strategic Vision, it will not conclude the debate on
this issue. The meeting, in which the guidelines and strategic
objectives of the Strategic Vision of the OAS will be considered,
will take place at the headquarters of the institution in Washington
DC.
ELECTION OF THE NEXT SECRETARY GENERAL
On another issue, the Council took note of the request of Secretary
General Insulza to add to the agenda of the next meeting the process of
election of the next OAS Secretary General. Secretary General Insulza
suggested convening a Special General Assembly
60 to 90 days before
May 26, 2015,
when his term ends, "so that the person elected has enough time to make
a proper transition." He also said that according to a mandate from the
General Assembly, "it is necessary to invite the candidates to make a
presentation
before the Permanent Council, which will have to set the corresponding
dates."
During the meeting, the delegations of Mexico, Ecuador, the United
States, Canada, Paraguay, Guatemala, Peru, Jamaica, Barbados, Belize,
Colombia, Chile, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Honduras, Bolivia, El Salvador,
Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas,
the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Suriname, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dominica, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil,
Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and the Permanent Observers of Italy
and Spain took the floor.
For more information, please visit the OAS Website at
www.oas.org.
© Copyright 2014 by thebahamasweekly.com
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