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OAS Highlights First Constitutional Referendum in Paraguay

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today congratulated the people and government of Paraguay for the results of the Referendum that will allow the Paraguayan people who live abroad to cast their votes in their place of residence to elect their country’s authorities. “This is a great step towards improving the electoral system and making it more fair, allowing nationals who have had to leave their country for economic, professional or personal reasons to express themselves and participate in events of great importance to their country,” he said.

“To vote in elections for government authorities is a way of being present in the country, though, in this case, a Paraguayan may be thousands of kilometers from his or her motherland. It was a promise from President Fernando Lugo, and it has been fulfilled,” he added.

Secretary General Insulza also greeted the EOM-OAS, headed by Doctor Noemí Sanín Posada, and thanked the work of observation conducted for the Referendum, held last Sunday in the South American country.

The Chief of the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS) in Paraguay, Noemí Sanín Posada, for her part, celebrated the normal and transparent conditions surrounding the first Referendum in the country, an instrument contained in the Constitution of 1992. The former Colombian foreign minister and former presidential candidate highlighted the step taken in participatory democracy, as well as the decision by popular will that is to allow in the future the full exercise of the political rights of Paraguayans living abroad.

The EOM/OAS wishes to highlight that the tables observed were set up in an early fashion and with all the necessary materials to conduct the electoral process. The Mission satisfactorily observed that the authorities guaranteed the security of the polling stations, which at the same time were duly equipped so that citizens may exercise their civic duty.

The Mission notes the implementation of a pilot plan of fingerprint control. Through the use of this system, the voter’s identity is confirmed, thus raising the transparency and security of the process. The success of the pilot plan on this occasion will favor its potential use in future elections.

The Mission is concerned about the low citizen participation in the Constitutional Referendum, which attracted only 12.54 percent after 92 percent of votes were counted. The EOM/OAS urges the electoral authorities, political parties and civil society organizations to expand the diffusion of the electoral process to increase citizen participation in this important mechanism for popular decision-making.

The EOM/OAS congratulates the electoral authorities for the organization of the Referendum, which translated into an environment of total tranquility, order and civic spirit. It also thanks said authorities for the full guarantees and total collaboration in its work of observation, as well as the cordiality with which they were welcomed by the citizenry in the development of their tasks.

Reference: E-890/11