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The Organization of American States (OAS) deployed six electoral observation missions in five countries of the Americas in 2017, with 373 international experts and observers present at more than 2,000 polling stations, according to the Annual Report of the OAS Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO) presented this week. The OAS Missions observed presidential, legislative, municipal, local and parliamentary elections that affected the lives of more than 43 million citizens of the Americas.
The OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, highlighted the work done by the Electoral Observation Missions (EOMs) of the Organization, as an essential element for the strengthening of democracies. "The OAS EOMs showed impeccable technical rigor in the face of complex electoral processes in 2017, and their recommendations are the starting point in improving the electoral systems of the region," he said.
For his part, the Acting Secretary for Strengthening Democracy, Gerardo de Icaza, described the work carried out during 2017 in the electoral area as "an important advance towards the objectives of inclusion and participation that we have set for ourselves. With the ongoing professionalization of our Missions, we consolidate the role of the OAS as an Organization committed to democracy and its strengthening."
During 2017, the Electoral Observation Missions (EOM) conducted by the OAS were:
At the conclusion of each EOM, a final report was presented to the OAS Permanent Council and the country where the observation took place, with findings, observations and recommendations for strengthening the national electoral system. All reports are available here
In addition to the EOMs, a Mission of Electoral Experts accompanied the election of judicial authorities in Bolivia, a unique model at the international level. At the same time, technical delegations were deployed for the primary elections in Honduras and Paraguay.
The 2017 Annual Report explains that, in addition to the deployment of the Observation Missions, the OAS also worked on matters of professionalization of observation, follow-up on mission recommendations and funds management and details that, as part of the efforts to achieve greater impact and coordination, the OAS:
Some achievements highlighted in the report include:
During 2018, the OAS plans to carry out or has already conducted Observation Missions in at least 7 countries in the region: Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico and Paraguay.
The report also appreciates the contributions for the fulfillment of the outlined tasks by the donor countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Honduras, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
More information: Mónica Reyes ([email protected])
Reference: E-047/18