Carter, Ford to Help Monitor Vote
Former President Jimmy Carter joined fellow ex-President Gerald R. Ford on Friday to help monitor Panama’s presidential election.
At a news conference, Carter said, “The process of democratization of Panama has been very slow, and that is one of the reasons we decided to come here to monitor the elections.”
Ford arrived Thursday night as part of an delegation headed by Carter under the auspices of the Council of Freely Elected Heads of Government. Carter is chairman of the private council.
There was no immediate government reaction to Friday’s announcement in Washington that President Bush is sending an official delegation of 14 U.S. observers headed by Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) to monitor the elections.
The official U.S. delegation is to arrive today at the U.S. Howard Air Force Base, thereby avoiding Panama’s requirement for entrance visas.
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