Carina Perelli

From dKosopedia

Category: Uruguay people

Carina Perelli is a 48 year old Uruguayan sociologist and the successful chief of the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division until her dismissal by Secretary General Kofi Anan on December 6, 2005 for misconduct. She was accused of sexual and professional harassment of her staff. She had been widely praised for her organization's work in elections in Afghanistan, East Timor and Sierra Leone.

The timing of her dismissal--on the eve of legislative elections in Iraq--was criticized. The neo-conservative U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton asked, "Why make the decision now?" Perhaps he already knew the answer to his own question.

During the January 2005 Iraqi elections Perelli complained about the highly visible role of the U.S. military in the election process. Informed that U.S. soldiers were distributing voting material, Perelli said: "I'm glad that you reported it, because I'm going to be screaming on the phone in two minutes." The blundering U.S. occupation of Iraq has accumulated an astonishing record of mistakes.

References

• n.a. "Top UN Election Official Vows to Fight Dismissal." Agence France Presse. December 7, 2005.
• Colum Lynch. "U.S. Troops' Role in Iraqi Elections Criticized: U.N. Official Assails Distribution of Material." Washington Post. January 27, 2005, p. A14