Human Rights Council Vote Flawed by Two Errors, Kerim Admits, Spain Demands Improvements

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/hrc1kerimerror052808.html

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 -- Further irregularities have emerged concerning the Human Rights Council elections held in the UN General Assembly last week. In one contested race, the UK beat out Spain for a seat by a single vote, with two ballots called "invalid." When Inner City Press asked the spokesman for General Assembly president Srgjan Kerim to explain on what basis the ballots were deemed invalid, he declined to provide the answer. At Srgjan Kerim's press conference the following day, despite a statement just before the vote that the question could be asked, no question was permitted on the issue. Nor has any update been provided since.

Until Srgjan Kerim issued a letter apologizing for even further and more serious errors. He wrote:

"I wish to bring to your attention a matter relating to the election by the General Assembly of 15 members of the Human Rights Council that took place during the 98th plenary meeting yesterday, 21 May 2008.

"With regard to the results of the balloting for the two seats from among the Western European and other States, I have been informed by the Secretariat that there were two recording errors by the Secretariat: one in the number of abstention ballots and the other in the number of Members voting.

"The registration for abstention should have been 1 (one) instead of 10 and the number of Members voting should have been 189 (192 ballots received, minus two invalid ballots, minus one abstention ballot) instead of 182."

On such a simple vote, two major errors? Spain has written its response, which Inner City Press is putting online here. But this is a new low, and as Spain argues, things must improve. And questions must be answered.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/hrc1kerimerror052808.html