Media Center

Press Release


Preliminary Visit of the Electoral Observation Mission to Bolivia

  August 19, 2014

The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (EOM/OAS), headed by the former President of Guatemala, Álvaro Colom, will arrive in Bolivia tomorrow to learn about the progress of the organization for the general elections of October 12.

Colom, designated by the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, for the position, was President of the Central American country between 2008 and 2012. An engineer by trade, he began his career in public administration in 1991 when he was designated Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade, and from that moment he has held positions of great importance to the democratic life of his country.

During his visit to Bolivia, the Chief of Mission will sign, together with the Chair of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Wilma Velasco Aguilar, the agreement on the proceedings of observation. This agreement will establish the basis for the work that the EOM/OAS will carry out in the upcoming elections, guaranteeing the facilities to comply with its objectives. Colom will also hold meetings with President Evo Morales and other presidential candidates, as well as members of the international community and civil society.

Three weeks before the elections, the Mission will deploy a mobile group that will travel the country to learn about the details of the electoral process in the various departments. One week before the election, the rest of the base group will arrive to observe key aspects such as electoral technology, campaign financing, and equitable participation of men and women in the election, electoral security, resolution of electoral disputes and the vote abroad.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-341/14