This Wednesday, the national government announced that it will support the candidacy of Luis Almagro for his reelection to the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS).
The support was made official by the Chancellor of the Republic, Manuel Ventura, after a meeting he held with Almagro in Washington DC.
The Secretary General, Luis Almagro, has performed a brilliant job at the OAS, and with determination has revitalized its commitments to democracy, human rights and freedoms. By virtue of this, Costa Rica fully supports his re-election. In the current times, of enormous challenges and risks of setbacks in democratic progress, we support Secretary General Luis Almagro in his intentions to continue defending the principles and values that have been at the foundation of the OAS,”
said Ventura.
On December 6th, Almagro announced that he will be reelected at the request of a number of countries, including Colombia and the United States.
The head of the OAS, who was chancellor with former Uruguayan President José Mujica (2010-2015), plunged the leadership of the Pan-American body in 2015, with a term of five years and with the right to consecutive re-election.
His mandate will end in May 2020, so the elections should be held between February and March. So far, no other leader in Latin America has submitted his candidacy.
To be elected, Almagro would need 18 votes, that is, a simple majority. In 2015, Almagro was elected with the unanimous support of 33 of the 34 member states, and one abstention.
In his three years at the OAS, Almagro has become one of the most critical international voices against Nicolás Maduro and his regime in Venezuela.