14 July 2006
Bolivian Elections Managed "Professionally," Says European Union
EU, U.S.-backed inter-American team observed July 2 elections
Washington -- Bolivia's July 2 legislative elections were carried out in a professional manner, says the European Union (EU), which observed the voting in the country along with a U.S.-backed inter-American team.
In a July 14 statement, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU commissioner for external relations and neighborhood policy, said Bolivia and its citizens "exercised their democratic rights with responsibility and dignity in an election managed professionally by the electoral authorities."
Bolivian voters elected representatives to a new constituent assembly and also cast ballots on a national referendum on whether to grant greater political autonomy to certain regions in the Andean nation. The EU said its team, sent to the country at the request of the Bolivian government, deployed more than 100 observers across the nation to monitor the polls.
Ferrero-Waldner said those elected to the Bolivian constituent assembly "will have the opportunity to work together over the coming months on the basis of dialogue and compromise in undertaking the process of constitutional reform. This will undoubtedly help to strengthen and invigorate Bolivian democracy."
The EU official added that the outcome of the referendum on regional autonomy would "set the scene for the constituent assembly to debate and formulate a model for regional autonomy which reflects the diversity of views expressed by the electorate."
The EU said the constituent assembly would be charged with drafting a new constitution for Bolivia, and with expressing its view on providing for regional autonomy within the new constitution.
The vote was an "especially important opportunity for the Bolivians," said the EU. It termed the elections a "key milestone in the country's democratic path" that "can bring extensive changes in the balance of political, economic and social power."
The EU observation team had said in a preliminary report July 4 that Bolivia’s electoral process "complied with international standards and national legislation, especially in the areas of freedom of expression and transparent election administration."
The EU commended the high participation of Bolivian voters in the election, "confirming the commitment of the Bolivian authorities and citizens to democratic and genuine elections in Bolivia." It added that "shortcomings" observed in the voting, "notably in relation to information to the electorate on the election process, voter registration and voting procedures, did not substantially affect the overall positive assessment."
The Organization of American States (OAS) sent 30 observers from 14 member nations, including the United States, to monitor the voting. (See related article.)
In its own preliminary report on the elections, issued July 3, the OAS observer mission said Bolivians exercised their right to vote "in a climate of democratic normalcy. The general tone was calm and any incidents we have knowledge of have been minor and did not influence the development of the elections."
The observers expressed their "most sincere congratulations" to the Bolivian people, "who went to the polls freely and responsibly to express their will and to make peaceful and democratic inroads towards the country's progress."
The OAS observation mission was backed with financial support from the governments of the United States, Canada and Spain. An OAS official said the United States provided $250,000 in financial support for the mission; Canada, $100,000; and Spain, $50,000.
The EU statement on Bolivia is available on the European Union Web site.
The OAS observer mission’s statement on Bolivia (in Spanish only) is available on the OAS Web site.
For more on U.S. policy toward Bolivia and the Andean region, see Andean Region.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
