[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 118 (Friday, August 19, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 19, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                           MEXICAN ELECTIONS

  (Mr. TORRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday, Mexico will be holding 
elections for both presidential and legislative offices. This is an 
incredibly important election for the development of a multiparty 
democracy in Mexico.
  Unfortunately, in recent years, there have been numerous allegations 
of electoral fraud against the ruling party. There is increasing 
popular demand for elections to be clean and fair. It is my hope that 
this Sunday's elections will indeed be legitimate. Mexican citizens 
deserve the opportunity to participate in a fraud-free election, where 
their vote will be respected.
  While it should not be the role of the U.S. Government to meddle in 
the sovereign affairs of our esteemed neighbor, we are, of course, 
extremely interested in the outcome. Without international observers 
monitoring the elections, the world must rely on citizen observers to 
verify the validity of both the pre-election process and Sunday's vote. 
It would be tragic for the election to be marred by irregularities. I 
know we are all hoping, rather, to see significant evidence that the 
elections are clean, as a sign that the reform efforts are working.
  Mexico is at a critical juncture. The American people, the U.S. 
Congress, and the administration will be paying close attention to both 
the process and the outcome of Sunday's election. I wish the Mexican 
people ``buena suerte''--good luck--in this exercise of democracy and 
bold step for the future of Mexico.

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