On Tuesday 21 October, the European Union, through the spokesperson for the European External Action Service (EEAS), congratulated the Bolivian people on the well-organised second round of the presidential elections and the new centre-right president, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, whose victory was recognised by his rival, Jorge Quiroga.
Bolivia and the EU are “committed to deepening [their] relationship in all areas of mutual interest, with a focus on sustainable investments to foster the green, digital and fair transitions”, the spokesperson said in a statement.
Led by MEP Davor Ivo Stier (EPP, Croatian), the EU Election Observation Mission (EOM) has drawn a number of conclusions in a preliminary report. Positive elements include respect for freedom of expression and the ability of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to provide preliminary results quickly. Improvements are still needed in the system for financing election campaigns, the registration of candidates (list finalised on the eve of elections), the fight against online disinformation generated by artificial intelligence, and combatting violence against women, even though Bolivia has a very high proportion of female MPs.
See the EOM’s preliminary report: https://aeur.eu/f/j29 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)