V CONFERENCE INTERAMERICAN UNION OF ELECTORAL ORGANIZATIONS (UNIORE) November 20, 21 and 22, 2000 ANTIGUA DECLARATION

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1 V CONFERENCE INTERAMERICAN UNION OF ELECTORAL ORGANIZATIONS (UNIORE) November 20, 21 and 22, 2000 ANTIGUA DECLARATION The delegates, representatives of the electoral organizations of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, México, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Santa Lucía and Uruguay, gathered during the V Conference of the Interamerican Union of Electoral Organizations, held in the City of Antigua, Republic of Guatemala on November 20, 21 and 22, 2000, in our quality as members of UNIORE; Reaffirming our unwavering faith in democracy as the system that offers the people the possibilities to achieve their civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, the legitimate exercise of it s freedom and sovereignty and after the extensive deliberations sustained, AGREE: 1. To greet the increase of the channels and the volume of specialized information in electoral matters that the Organizations of the Union and the Executive Secretariat have generated in the last semester, particularly expressed in the operation of the Iberoamerican Integrated Information System and the circulation of the News Letters of UNIORE. 2. To reiterate the importance that all the Organizations of the Union complete the corresponding selection to the figure of the Liaison Officer, without prejudice that a Magistrate serve also as an institutional link with CAPEL, to the effect of potentiating the information channels between the Electoral Organizations and the Secretariat. 3. To accept the agreements made in the Extraordinary Meeting of the Quito Protocol, as they highlight the role of the observation missions as proper mechanisms of horizontal cooperation and of constant and fertile linkage between the Electoral Organizations of America. 4. To accept and support the proposal of reinstating the International Center for Electoral Training and Political Leadership (CICELP), presented by the Electoral Court of Panama which was duly approved in the XIV Conference of the Association of Electoral Organizations of Central America and the Caribbean. This in order to: a) Not create a new entity with its own budget due to the lack of financial sources for the achievement of this objective. b) To restate the idea of CICELP based on its two objectives, in this manner: Regarding training, to work based on annual programs in coordination with other institutions such as the UFD/OAS, that with IDB resources, has already obtained financing for a three or four year plan. Taking into account that those resources will be put up for bidding, the City of Knowledge, of Panama, will participate as a proponent to be the site and organizer of these first programs of training; and thus with other financing sources. 1

2 Regarding research, to seek the construction of a virtual network for research integrated by universities around the world. CAPEL as the Executive Secretariat of the UNIORE Protocol, would coordinate with the UFD/OAS the content of the training programs to be financed by the IDB, so that it includes those topics that are of interest of our electoral organizations relating to the CICELP objectives. CAPEL would do additional work relating to the topic of research and would proceed to identify the universities interested in becoming part of the virtual network and, in consultation with the two electoral organizations, identify the topics that are the object of research. 5. To exhort each Electoral Organization member of the Union, in order that, when each agreement is adopted in the Tikal and Quito Protocols, it provides to the Executive Secretary the information relating to the electoral participation of physically disabled persons, in order to advance in the preparation of conclusions and recommendations in this issue. 6. To delay the decision related to the request made by the National Registry of Identity and of Civil Status (RENIEC) of the Republic of Peru, regarding its admission to the Interamerican Union Of Electoral Organizations. 7. To affirm the central role of education on and for democracy, in the future plans of consolidation of the political systems of the continent. In consequence, it requests to the Executive Secretariat, to give priority to this line of action and to contribute in the design of local and regional programs for the development of civic education and for life in democracy. 8. To exhort the Executive Secretariat in order that, with the support of the Electoral Organizations, promote, in its studies research and academic work, the analysis of the following topics: Political participation of minorities. Systems of representation and their relation with the image of public institutions. Civil control on public power. Geography, territory and electoral participation. The work of the Legislative Powers and their appraisal by the mass media, with a particular interest in the component of discredit experimented by this Power of the State. Guidelines and lessons learned in matters of electoral reform. 9. To reiterate the will of the members present at the Conference, in order that a Commission conformed by the Coordination and Follow Up Committee, study and offer its recommendations on the issue of financing of this Union. This commission will offer a report in the first semester of To use the technical resources of the Iberoamerican Integrated Information System in order to create specialized modules in the matter of electoral justice, taking advantage in particular of the experience and contribution that can be offered by the member of the Union that carry out jurisdictional functions in the electoral domain. 11. To approve the proposal of the Federal Electoral Authorities of Mexico in the sense of promoting the participation of the Electoral Organizations of the continent in coordination of tables of thematic discussion. In this regard, the following tables will be assigned: Electoral Training, in charge of the Electoral Court of Panama. Electoral Informatics, in charge of the Supreme Court of Elections of El Salvador. Mixed electoral systems, in charge of the Federal Electoral Institute of Mexico. 2

3 Electoral Justice, in charge of the Electoral Court of the Judicial Power of the Federation of Mexico. The object of these tables, would be to keep the Electoral Organizations updated on the state of thematic knowledge, in order to give follow up and evaluation to the topic of their coordination, to convene regional meetings and to use the system of fora foreseen in the SIII, for this purpose. 12. To reaffirm the conviction that democracy constitutes the objective of the actions and the very reason of the existence of UNIORE. In such sense, it is aware of the rupture of the institutional order of a state, could imply the need to review the pertinence of the participation of a determined electoral institution, according to the criteria and procedures that their own meetings determine in the right time. 13. To instruct the Executive Secretariat to accompany the new Peruvian Electoral Authorities in the different stages of the electoral process that will take place in that country in To thank the presence of Mr. Rodrigo Carazo Odio, former of the Republic of Costa Rica and of the speaker Mr. Daniel Sabsay and Ms. Line Bareiro, who with their orienting lectures, illustrated the participants in these Conferences of the Electoral Organizations of America. 15. To thank the presence of Mr. Jorge Mario Garcia Laguardia, First Director of CAPEL and Mr. Rafael Villegas Antillon, former of the Supreme Court of Elections of Costa Rica, who have attended to the V Conference of the Union, as special guests. 16. To grant a vote of gratitude and applause to the Supreme Court of Elections of the Republic of Guatemala, to its Felix Castillo Milla, and to its Magistrates Mr. Gabriel Medrano Valenzuela, Mr. Mario Roberto Guerra Roldan, Mr. Cesar Augusto Conde, Mr. Osmundo Romeo Villatoro Diaz, Mr. Mario Montano Paz, Mr. Luis Arturo Cardona, Mr. Carlos Roberto Sanchez Lazo, Mr. Gil Arturo Gonzalez Solis and to its Secretary General Mr. Jorge Rosales, for the excellent organization and warm hospitality offered to the participating delegations. 17. To express sincere gratitude to the officers of the Supreme Court of Elections of the Republic of Guatemala, for the efficient organization of the V Conference of UNIORE. 18. To thank the Interamerican Institute of Human Rights (IIDH), through its programmatic area the Centro de Asesoría y Promoción Electoral (CAPEL) and to its Executive Director, Mr. Roberto Cuellar and to its officers, for the task developed in procuring the strengthening of the association and for the support offered to the Supreme Court of Elections of the Republic of Guatemala in the celebration of these conferences. 19. To express a recognition to the Executive Secretariat for the REPORT OF ACTIVITIES submitted to this conference and to greet the technical and academic initiatives presented related to the new work guidelines of CAPEL, that will guide its future action in the double condition of a specialized program of the Interamerican Institute of Human Rights and the Executive Secretariat of UNIORE. 20. To designate Paraguay as the site of the VI Conference of the Interamerican Union of Electoral Organizations, that will be held in To designate Panama as the site of the VII Conference of the Interamerican Union of Electoral Organizations, to be held in the year

4 Given in the Republic of Guatemala, on November 22, 2000 For the Tribunal Supremo Electoral of Guatemala Félix Castillo Milla Gabriel Medrano Valenzuela Magistrate 1 st Vocal Mario Roberto Guerra Roldán Magistrate 2 nd Vocal César Augusto Conde Rada Magistrate 3 rd Vocal Osmundo Romeo Villatoro Díaz Magistrate 4 th Vocal Mario Montano Paz Luis Arturo Morales Cardona Roberto Sánchez Lazo Gil Arturo González Solís Jorge Rosales General Secretary 4

5 For the Cámara Nacional Electoral of Argentina Rodolfo Emilio Munné Felipe González Roura Judicial Secretary For the Corte Nacional Electoral of Bolivia Alfredo Bocángel Vice Rolando Costa Ardúz Vocal For the Tribunal Superior Electoral of Brazil Walter Ramos Da Costa Porto Minister For the Consejo Nacional Electoral of Colombia Orlando Solano Legal Advisor For the Registraduría Nacional del Estado Civil of Colombia Iván Duque Escobar National Registrar For the Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones of Costa Rica Anabelle León Feoli Magistrate 5

6 Héctor Fernández Legal Advisor For the Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones of Chile Enrique Tapia Minister Domingo Yurac Minister For the Servicio Electoral of Chile Juan Ignacio García Director Juan Pablo Uribe Chief of Operations Unit For the Tribunal Supremo Electoral of Ecuador Eduardo Villaquirán Lebed Armando Cazar Valenzuela Vocal For the Tribunal Supremo Electoral of El Salvador José Sergio Mena Méndez Julio César Hernández Cárcamo Magistrate Ramiro Peña Marín José Heriberto Alvayero 6

7 General Secretary For the Tribunal Nacional de Elecciones of Honduras Lisandro Quesada Guillermo Casco Callejas Vice For the Electoral Committee of Jamaica Abe Dab Doub Nominated Donnette Rhoos Dixon Field Coordinator For the Tribunal Electoral de Poder Judicial de la Federación of México Raúl Avila Ortiz Chief of the Unit of International Affairs For the Instituto Federal Electoral of México Alonso Lujambio Legal Advisor Manuel Carrillo Poblano Coordinator of International Affairs For the Tribunal Electoral of Panamá Eduardo Valdés Escoffery Yara Ivette Campo Institutional Executive Director For the Tribunal Superior de Justicia Electoral of Paraguay 7

8 Alberto Ramírez Zambonini For the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones of Perú Ramiro de Valdivia Cano Víctor Gastón Soto Vallenas For the Oficina Nacional de Procesos Electorales of Perú Oscar Cueva Counsel to Headquarters For the Comisión Estatal de Elecciones of Puerto Rico Salvador González Zayas Managing Director For the Junta Central Electoral of the Dominican Republic Manuel Ramón Morel Cerda Ana Teresa Pérez For the Electoral Office of Saint Lucía J. Baden Allain Eldridge Stephens For the Corte Electoral of Uruguay Renán Rodríguez Vice 8

9 Alberto Maschwitz For the Executive Secretariat (IIDH/CAPEL) Roberto Cuéllar M. Executive Director 9