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OAS Electoral Observation Mission to General Elections in Ecuador Presents Findings and Recommendations

The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) deployed in Ecuador for the general elections and popular consultation on February 19 and for the second round of presidential elections on April 2nd, today presented its report to the Permanent Council of the Organization, in which it highlighted the peaceful atmosphere that prevailed throughout the elections and presented recommendations to improve the processes.

The Chief of Mission, former President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernández, pointed out that during the voting days "there was an atmosphere of calm and that citizens were able to go out to cast the vote in a free way." He also acknowledged the CNE's efforts to improve its procedures and emphasized that the results of the National Assembly reflect the plurality of options present in the competitive electoral process. Fernandez regretted that polls were used for political purposes, leading to disagreements about results and generating uncertainty and mistrust of the different parties.

The Chief of Mission emphasized the importance of confidence in the electoral authorities in any democratic process. In that sense, he said that "for future electoral processes, the EOM/OAS recommends strengthening and promoting the active participation of political organizations representatives in the Regional Advisory Councils, in order that discussions and complaints can be solved in institutional spaces."

Among other recommendations, the Mission called for a review of the causes for use of state resources by institutions through official publicity. The Mission also urged regulation of public hearings, counts and recounts, the publication of results, as well as the deployment and withdrawal of material.

The Mission began its work in January, with a preliminary visit and observation of three of the simulations organized by the electoral authority, and withdrew from the country on April 20, once official results were announced. The Mission deployed a total of 144 observers and experts (69 women and 75 men) from 21 nationalities who observed different aspects of the electoral process, including technology and electoral organization, political and legal analysis, electoral political financing, gender equality and electoral justice.

Following the presentation of the report, the President of the National Electoral Council of Ecuador, Juan Pablo Pozo Bahamonde, highlighted that “beyond the technical contribution, beyond the methodological contribution, I want to make it clear that the presence of the Electoral Mission of the Organization of American States in Ecuador contributed to the social peace in our country. In a complex electoral process – and it is in the complex processes with tight results where institutions are put to the test -, I believe without a doubt that democracy in Ecuador has emerged stronger following this electoral process.”

The Mission thanked all the actors in the electoral process for their openness, which allowed the delegation to carry out its work, and the Ecuadorian people for their warm hospitality. Finally, the EOM expressed its appreciation for the contributions made by Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Korea, Spain, the United States, Honduras, Israel, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Serbia, which enabled the deployment of the Mission.

Reference: E-058/17