Mediating Elections:

Abstract

Organización de los Estados Americanos (oea),RESUMEN: Tras 53 años desplegando misiones, el siguiente trabajo reflexiona en torno a tres ideas básicas que se han establecido en relación a la naturaleza de la observación de la Organización de los Estados Americanos: el papel de las misiones electorales, la invitación previa y el despliegue masivo de observadores el día de la elección. El documento propone elementos de juicio para una necesaria discusión sobre estas ideas básicas, especialmente uno que pudiera contemplar la invitación automática para la observación internacional.Palabras clave: observación electoral; misiones electorales; democracia; Organización de los Estados Americanos (oea).ABSTRACT: After 53 years deploying missions, this paper addresses on three common ideas on the nature of the electoral observation of the Organization of American States: the paper of electoral missions, the invitation required for the deployment and the deployment of large number of observers. The paper presents element for debating these consensuses, particularly focused on the possibility of an automatic invitation to deploy electoral observations missions in oas member states.

International Influences on Elections in New Multiparty States

“…International actors have also helped mediate election disputes (Pastor 1998). International actors have served as brokers in many elections, such as Guyana's in 1997, Ukraine's in 2004, and Kenya's in 2007.…”

“…Elklit (2011) argues that after the 2007 election in Kenya, the Independent Review Commission (IREC) (spearheaded by Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on behalf of the African Union and with UN support) was essential to solving the postelection conflicts and that international actors also played important mediation roles following the Lesotho 1998 election and again in Lesotho from 2007 to 2010. McCoy and others also report (Pastor 1998) several successful cases when former president Jimmy Carter, working with the Carter Center, has negotiated with losing incumbents and persuaded them to leave office (McCoy 1998;McCoy et al 1991). In 2011, UN and French forces eventually intervened in the Ivory Coast after strongman Laurent Gbagbo refused to step down following his loss.…”

In the Shadow of Democracy Promotion

“…The substance of international benefits that each state desires varies, and benefits can include material rewards such as foreign aid as well as less tangible benefits such as international legitimacy. Since the end of the cold war, the Western democracies that allocate many of these benefits have made it clear that they prefer governments elected in free and fair elections, certified as such by teams of international election observers (Bjornlund, 2004;Geisler, 1993;Huntington, 1991;Pastor, 1998). On average, countries that hold internationally certified elections are promised more international benefits (Bjornlund, 2004, pp.…”

Untitled

“…Election observation and monitoring build voter confidence in the integrity of the process as well as the integrity of the election management body. The presence of observers and monitors may discourage or expose violence or intimidation and cheating or manipulation of the vote or the results (Pastor 1998;Hyde 2007;McFaul 2007;Kelley 2010).…”