Representative of the Organization of American States meets with Laso in Ecuador

The President praised the representatives of that regional body, although different voices at the international level questioned their role in the electoral processes in Latin America.

Saint-Malo confirmed, in statements to the press after the meeting with the head of state, that 80 observers from the Organization of American States will be present in 20 provinces of the country next Sunday to monitor the vote.

He rejected the “context of violence amid the democratic space,” calling for calm, expressing his concern about threats to electoral authorities and political actors.

Of the more than 2,500 observers who will monitor the votes according to the National Electoral Council, Lasso has so far only met Saint-Malo.

More than 13.4 million Ecuadorians were called to the polls on August 20 to elect the president, vice president and 137 council members, political organizations with threatening opponents and electoral authorities.

The official stressed that our goal is to contribute to the electoral process that takes place within the framework of democracy.

Government Minister Henri Cocalon endorsed the will to cooperate with the electoral authorities and the Organization of American States “so that everything goes as expected”.

While political and civil society organizations approve of the presence of election observers, the presence of the OAS is of concern to some, especially given its involvement in the coup d’état in Bolivia after the 2019 presidential election.

At the same time, they must declare themselves in a referendum proposing to stop oil extraction in the Amazonian Yasuni National Park, and the residents of the municipality of Quito must decide on a ban on mining in Chocó Andino, a biosphere reserve in the northwest of the country. capital.

rgh/avr