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Electoral Process Is Evidence of Maturity and Strength in Paraguayan Democracy

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, sent his greetings to the Paraguayan people following last Sunday’s elections, which he said “contributed to the strengthening of the democratic system and its institutions.” Furthermore, he called on “political and social stakeholders to accept the results officially announced by the electoral body, giving those elected at this time the opportunity to further ahead the commitments made to Paraguayan society. This confirms the strength of the democratic institutions in the Republic of Paraguay, reaffirmed by the important participation of voters and the commitment of all political stakeholders to conform to the popular will.”

The Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) remarks that the electoral process in Paraguay was conducted, in general, in an environment of peace that allowed citizens to go to the polls to elect local authorities in the 238 municipalities of the country. The significance of these elections lies in that those leaders involved are the ones who in the most direct and close way can influence the wellbeing of people and their daily lives.

Spread throughout the national territory, the 55 observers of the EOM/OAS noted that the tables were set up early and appropriately, which contributed to wellbeing of the process. Furthermore, the Mission highlights the significant presence of women in the makeup of said tables at various levels of authority, which represents a contribution to Paraguayan democracy.

During the electoral process there were specific cases in which political proselytism was alleged, as well as the induction of voters to opt for a candidate within the premises of the voting places, and alleged vote buying. All of the reports received by the Mission will be forwarded to the Superior Court of Electoral Justice (TSJE), which is in charge of processing the complaints. During the vote counting, the EOM/OAS highlights that administrative problems or errors were present in very low numbers, while existing complaints and misunderstandings related to the recount were addressed promptly.

The Mission calls for appropriately clarifying and facilitating the confirmation of political alliances, as a sign of the confluence of different currents of opinion that would allow voters to express clearly their preferences on the day of the elections. It highlights that the percentage of nullified votes and challenged tallies was low, which reflects the good civic education of the citizenry that voted for their elected leaders.

The EOM/OAS calls attention to the use of surveys at exit polls as final results, which generates confusion in the citizenry and leads some candidates to declare themselves winners of the elections before taking into account the numbers issued by the TSJE. The Mission makes a call to all political stakeholders and candidates to calmly wait for the final results to be announced by the electoral authority.

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

Reference: E-423/10