WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro has announced the appointment of Maricarmen Plata, a member of his cabinet, as chief of the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) to be deployed to the March 12 general elections in Belize.

Almagro said the mission, comprising 12 observers from seven countries, will focus its observation on electoral organisation and technology, political-electoral financing and electoral justice.

Ahead of the polls, Almagro said the chief of mission, along with the OAS team, will meet with electoral authorities, representatives of political parties, government officials, and other stakeholders “to discuss perspectives on the electoral process”.

On election day, the OAS chief said members of the mission will visit polling stations from the opening of the polls to the counting of votes and the publication of results.

In the days after the election, Almagro said the OAS mission will present its preliminary report containing observations and recommendations, “which seek to strengthen the democratic and electoral processes in the country”.

Almagro said this will be the fourth Electoral Observation Mission that the OAS has deployed in Belize, following previous missions in 2012 and 2015 to observe general elections and a 1997 mission focused on the re-registration of voters.