On Tuesday, 24, 2025, a technical meeting was held between representatives of the European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) and the Ombudsman's Office of Bolivia (Defensoría del Pueblo) to provide specialised guidance on using digital tools for collecting information on election day. ECES was represented by its ITC Senior Expert, Khaldoun Dudin, and ECES PRO-Eleccion Bolivian staff, Rafael Loayza and Carolina Floru. The session focused on strengthening the capacities of the Ombudsman’s team that will participate in the human rights-focused election observation mission, through the presentation of digital platforms designed to facilitate secure, georeferenced, and real-time reporting of potential human rights violations during the electoral process.
During the meeting, the Ombudsman's Office formally expressed its interest in receiving technical support from ECES to implement these tools in its observation strategy. The institution requested assistance for methodological adaptation, staff training, and operational deployment of the proposed digital instruments. ECES is already providing technical assistance to la Defensoría in electoral conflict analysis and prevention, as well as in the design of observation forms and tools to enhance its capacity to monitor the electoral process and E-Day from a human rights perspective, complementing the domestic observation mission Observa Bolivia.
Both parties agreed on the importance of promoting a human rights-centred electoral observation effort that enables the systematic and timely documentation of observed incidents, thereby contributing to electoral transparency, accountability, and the adequate protection of citizens' rights.
