The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), in response to an invitation from the government of Colombia, has formed an Electoral Oversight Mission that will accompany the 2010 Legislative and Presidential Elections.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza has designated former Chilean Minister Enrique Correa to head the Mission. Correa today began a preliminary visit that will include meetings with the President of the Republic, Álvaro Uribe Vélez; the Minister of Interior and Justice, Fabio Valencia Cossio; and the Minister of Defense, Gabriel Silva Luján for the purpose of hearing their input on the electoral process. Moreover, the Head of the Mission will meet with the National Civil Registrar, Carlos Ariel Sánchez, with leaders of the distinct political forces and representatives of the international community and civil society.

Enrique Correa was Secretary General Minister of the Chilean Government from 1990 to 1994. Later he held the position of Director of the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, or FLACSO, at its headquarters in Chile and was a member of the Superior Council of the same faculty. He also worked as a consultant for the Inter American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Correa was Chief of the OAS Electoral Observation Missions in Ecuador during the elections of 2007, 2008 and 2009.

For the Legislative Elections of this March 14, the Mission expects to deploy observers in a vast area of Colombian territory with the goal of following the development of the organization and administration of the electoral process, as well as of political campaigning.

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

Reference: E-046/10