The delegation will support the efforts of the National Electoral Council (CNE) to deliver free and fair elections by traveling across scores of precincts on election day and monitoring the process of ballot counting in the hours after they close.

The PI has sent its delegation due to the overwhelming international concern for the integrity of Ecuador’s elections. Given the severity of the global pandemic, the extended legal challenges to potential contenders, and the prospects of election postponement, PI’s observer mission will help ensure transparency and a peaceful electoral process in the context of these extraordinary circumstances.

A delegation convened by PI observed last year’s landmark Bolivian elections, which were carried out successfully despite taking place less than a year after a coup. Despite this success, concerns remain about the transparency and fairness of election observation in the region following the severe criticism of The Organization for American States (OAS) election observer mission for its role in the 2019 Bolivian coup following the first round of presidential elections. PI’s mission inside the country will be aided by additional delegates outside the country, unable to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, who will analyze the data from the electoral contests to avoid the tragic errors of the OAS Bolivia in 2019.

Additionally, PI’s delegation will monitor the ability of local observers to be present at the polls, tensions between Ecuador’s two electoral authorities, the destruction of erroneously printed ballots and the transmission of precinct level results to the CNE for national tabulation. Extensive monitoring and observation at each step in this delicate process will be critical to providing confidence in the final result.

David Adler, member of the Progressive International’s Cabinet and coordinator of the Ecuador delegation, said:

“Between violent crackdowns on IMF protests in 2019 to persistent threats to cancel this week’s election, Ecuador’s democracy is on the brink. The vigilance of the world will be critical to preserve it — and help advance democracy in the region.

“The Progressive International will contribute to the transparency of the electoral process and help secure its credibility. The Progressive International — with its members and partners throughout Latin America and the world — is particularly concerned about the integrity of Ecuador’s elections, given the challenging political, legal and public health context in which they take place.

“We hope to witness the people of Ecuador exercise their rights freely and fairly - and to send a powerful signal in defence of democracy everywhere.”