[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 61 (Tuesday, May 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING PRESIDENT CARTER ON SUCCESSFUL MONITORING OF DEMOCRATIC 
                          ELECTIONS IN PANAMA

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I commend President Jimmy Carter for his 
role in the successful democratic elections in Panama on May 8, 1994. 
President Carter led an American delegation of observers to the 
Panamanian elections for the second time. He also led the U.S. 
delegation in 1989. Sunday was the first time Panamanians had voted for 
a President since the 1989 election. That election was annulled by 
General Noriega when it became obvious his candidate would lose to 
Guillermo Andara. The United States subsequently sent troops to Panama 
to restore order and democracy in the wake of Noriega's destruction.
  President Carter was among those who denounced the 1989 election as 
fraudulent. In the recent election, he played an instrumental role in 
ensuring fair voting procedures. Turnout for the May 8 vote about 78 
percent--far better than U.S. Presidential elections. The President-
elect is American-educated businessman Ernesto Perez Balladares. 
President Carter called his election a victory for democracy.
  I was fortunate to accompany President Carter as an observer of the 
Nicaraguan elections in 1990. As Americans, it is our duty as stewards 
of the greatest democracy in the world to work with those around the 
world who seek democracy, sometimes in the face of great danger and 
persecution. President Carter is a shining example of that special 
American spirit--a commitment to assisting those who seek freedom, 
justice, and democracy in other parts of the world.

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