The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), through the EU-funded PRO-Elección Bolivia project, held on Friday, October 31, the International Workshop “Improving the Quality of Citizen Electoral Observation Reports”, a working session that brought together more than twenty representatives from electoral observation and human rights organizations across the country.
The activity—developed within the framework of the project’s institutional-strengthening actions—featured the participation of the technical teams of the Office of the Ombudsman (Defensoría del Pueblo) and the Citizen Observation Mission Observa Bolivia (MOEC-OB), who highly valued this space for technical and methodological exchange. Throughout the session, participants reviewed practical examples and international standards applied to the drafting of final observation reports, drawing on the European Union (EU) and the Organization of American States (OAS) electoral observation manuals.
Participants also benefited from valuable international experiences shared by experts from the European Union (EU), ECES, and the Organization of American States (OAS). The specialists presented a comparative analysis of both organizations’ methodologies and observation frameworks, emphasizing key principles such as impartiality, transparency, verifiable evidence, gender equality, and accountability. From the European perspective, experts highlighted tools used in international electoral observation missions across Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, while the inter-American approach brought concrete examples of how OAS observation missions have contributed to building public trust and democratic legitimacy. ECES experts expanded on the technical aspects of report writing and the use of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) recommendations, offering Bolivian teams a methodological framework that links evidence, norms, and impact. This exchange of experiences enriched participants’ understanding of global standards applicable to the Bolivian context, reinforcing the workshop’s international and cooperative spirit.
The workshop also focused on improving the traceability of findings, linking evidence with legal norms and their democratic impact, and promoting the use of good and smart recommendations in final reports. In addition, best practices developed by the Ombudsman’s Office and Observa Bolivia during the 2025 electoral process were presented, highlighting methodological consistency and a strong human-rights and gender-equality approach.
Participants praised the workshop for its practical relevance and added value, underscoring the need to continue such capacity-building initiatives to enhance national skills in drafting high-quality, evidence-based electoral observation reports.
Through this workshop, ECES reaffirms its commitment to democratic strengthening, electoral transparency, and inclusive citizen participation, accompanying Bolivian institutions in the continuous improvement of their analytical and public communication tools.
