OAS and Grenada Sign Agreement on the Observation Mission for the General Elections of February 19
WASHINGTON, DC – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, and the Permanent Representative of Grenada to the hemispheric body, Gillian Bristol, today signed the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of Observers, which provides the conditions for the work of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to accompany the general elections in the country on February 19, 2013.
Secretary General Insulza expressed satisfaction at the signing of the document and recalled that “this will be the fourth time we have observed elections in Grenada, and I’m sure this election will be as successful as the others.”
Along with expressing thanks for the invitation to observe the electoral process, the OAS leader congratulated the country on the 39th anniversary of its independence, which will be celebrated on February 7. Secretary General Insulza recognized that the preparation time for the observation team has been brief, but said that “I’m certain that we will be present in, if not all, at least in most of the 15 constituencies that are being contested in the election by the major parties.”
For her part, Ambassador Bristol expressed her pride in noting that “out of a population of 110,000 people only, over 62,000 people registered to vote in these upcoming general elections to elect all the members of parliament which would include the Prime Minister, the head of government of the country.” The Representative of Grenada recalled that while her country enjoys the freedoms and privileges of a democracy, “we also know that we have duties and responsibilities living in such a society and among those is our civic duty to go to the polls and elect our leaders.”
Ambassador Bristol added that “we are looking forward to the usual vibrant campaigning period, although it is short, but also to an excellent turnout on February 19 in the entire tri-island nation that is Grenada, Carriacou, and Petit Martinique.”
The Permanent Representatives of Barbados, Canada, and Costa Rica were present at the signing ceremony.
