On Thursday, June 26, the cycle of Equality Forums with Candidates, titled “Towards the Bolivia We Want,” was launched in La Paz. With the support of the European Centre for Electoral Support, the first forum focused on the theme “Parity-Based and Intercultural Democracy”, based on the agenda developed by the Coordinadora de la Mujer in collaboration with the Juntas Hacemos Historia Movement, a coalition of over 500 social organizations, collectives, and institutions committed to human rights, social justice, and the strengthening of democracy in Bolivia. ECES Executive Director Fabio Bargiacchi recently signed an MoU with la Coordinadora to seal our joint efforts to promote democratic parity and to fight against harassment and political violence against women in the framework of the EU-funded PRO-Elección Bolivia.
The forum brought together representatives from nine of the ten political forces set to compete in Bolivia’s 2025 general elections, hundreds of representatives from women´s organisations, and representatives of the international community. Using a dynamic yet rigorous methodology—centred on questions formulated by civil society organisations—candidates presented their party platforms and policy proposals regarding women’s political representation, gender parity, and the democratisation of political representation systems in the country, in line with the principles of a parity-based and intercultural democracy. The ECES team was represented by Katia Uriona, a senior expert on women´s political empowerment, Carolina Floru, a senior expert in electoral processes, and Luis Castellar, the Project Coordinator.
