*Statement of the Fourth NDI/Carter Center
Pre-election Delegation to Peru*


*/Lima, May 5, 2000/*

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*

The fourth international pre-election delegation to Peru, organized
jointly by the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and The Carter Center
issued its statement in Lima today. The delegation, which visited Peru
from May 1 through May 5, stressed that:

"Unless immediate and comprehensive improvements are made to the
political environment surrounding the presidential runoff election, as
well as to administrative and technical procedures required for election
day and the consolidation of results, Peru's election process will
ultimately fail to meet minimum international standards for democratic
elections."

"If the political will to make decisive improvements is demonstrated by
the political contestants, governmental and electoral authorities, mass
media, security forces, courts and others concerned with the process --
and if critical changes are made beginning in the next few days --
sufficient public confidence in the process could be established. At
this juncture, however, the credibility of the election process is at risk.�

The delegation supported recommendations of the working groups set up by
Peruvian election authorities, which included representatives of the two
candidates for Peru�s May 28 presidential runoff election and observers,
as well as recommendations of the Organization of American States
Election Observation Mission, the Peruvian Ombudsman�s Office
(Defensoria del Pueblo) and national election monitoring groups
Transparencia, Consejo por la Paz and others.

The delegation issued 13 recommendations that addressed the urgent needs
for: political dialogue between the two presidential candidates,
President Alberto Fujimori and Dr. Alejandro Toledo, and their
representatives; efforts to avoid violence and violations of political
rights; ending campaigns of vilification of Dr. Toledo,domestic election
monitors and others; ending media bias in coverage of the candidates;
provision of sufficient media access for both candidates; complete
access to the election process by domestic and international election
observers; and rectification of serious problems in election day
administration and consolidation of the official election results.

�Opinion polls indicate that a majority of Peruvians suspect that the
process was influenced by fraudulent practices,� said delegation member
Andres Dominguez Vial, Advisor to and former General Coordinator of the
Chilean Human Rights Commission. �This perception in and of itself
presents a real problem. The crisis of confidence must be effectively
addressed if the elections are to be seen as credible. While intensive
efforts to improve administrative procedures for election day are
essential, an election is much more than a technical exercise.
Therefore, the problems of the political environment that marred the
first round and that are damaging the second must also be remedied
immediately.�

The delegation was invited by the government of Peru and Peruvian civic
and political leaders. The delegation�s observations are based upon an
extensive series of meetings with: representatives of the candidates;
political party leaders; the Prime Minister; the Oficina Nacional de
Procesos Electorales (ONPE); the Defensoria del Pueblo (Ombudsman�s
Office); nongovernmental organizations, including Transparencia, Consejo
por la Paz, Foro Democratico and Instituto Prensa y Sociedad; the news
media owners and Genaro Delgado Parker; the Organization of American
States Election Observer Mission; and representatives of the diplomatic
community from Latin America, Europe and North America.

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and
The Carter Center are nongovernmental organizations that work to promote
democracy around the world. The two institutions have conducted more
than 100 impartial pre-election, election-day and post-election
observation delegations in the Americas and around the globe. The
purposes of this delegation were to express the support of the
international community for a democratic election process in Peru and to
assess the evolving political environment surrounding the upcoming
elections, as well as the state of electoral preparations.

NDI and The Carter Center will continue to monitor developments
surrounding the elections. A joint NDI/Carter Center observer team will
be present for the May 28 election, and another joint NDI/Carter Center
delegation is likely to visit the country in the period immediately
following the runoff, in order to more fully assess the entire electoral
process.

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(NDI). All rights reserved. Portions of this work may be reproduced
and/or translated for non-commercial purposes provided that NDI is
acknowledged as the source of the material and is sent copies of any
translation.

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