USA / DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, and the minister of foreign Affairs of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Álvarez, on Wednesday, signed the agreement on privileges and immunities for the sending of an Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) for the municipal elections of February 18 and the presidential and congressional elections of May 19, 2024 and, if necessary, a second round, on June 30, which will be held in the Central-American country.
After the ceremony at the OAS headquarters in Washington DC., foreign minister Álvarez recognized that the signing of the agreement “marks a new milestone in the strengthening of our democracy, in our country’s continued commitment to the principles of transparency, justice and electoral equity. It is a reaffirmation of our democratic values and a sign of the trust we place in international institutions to accompany us in these crucial processes.”
Secretary-General Almagro said that for the institution that he leads “it will once again be an honour to contribute through the deployment of a team of international observers and specialists for the various elections this year, in which more than eight million Dominicans will be able to go to the polls to elect more than 4,000 positions of popular representation.”
The OAS and the Dominican Republic: “Have worked closely on various cooperation initiatives in recent years, which reflects the deep commitment of the country, its authorities and its institutions, to democracy,” he said.
The general-secretariat accepted the invitation of the Junta Central Electoral of the Dominican Republic (JCE), in October of last year. Once the electoral processes are concluded, the Mission will present its report with observations and recommendations to the Permanent Council of the Organization.
To date, the OAS, through its Department for Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO) of the Secretariat for Strengthening Democracy, has observed 21 electoral processes in the Dominican Republic.
