Dispatch of Election Observers for the General Elections of the Republic of Bolivia

December 8, 2005

To support the fair and peaceful implementation of the General Elections in Bolivia (Presidential and Vice-presidential elections; elections to the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies; and department governors' elections) to be held on December 18 (Sun), the Government of Japan has decided to send two election observers (one scholar and a staff member of the Japanese Embassy in Bolivia) to the country. The observers will join the Election Observation Mission dispatched by the Organization of American States (OAS) at the request of the Government of Bolivia.
The Elections in Bolivia, where an unstable situation has continued for over two years, will be brought forward to before the term of the current administration expires. Japan regards them as important, because they will determine the future political condition of the nation.

Taking account of such a situation, Japan has decided on dispatching these observers to support the efforts of the Bolivian private and public sectors toward strengthening democracy and realizing political stability.

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