The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) supported a specialized training session in La Paz on 12 February 2026, aimed at strengthening Bolivia’s digital electoral monitoring capacities ahead of the 2026 Subnational Elections. The activity was organized for the monitoring team of Fundación CONSTRUIR a strategic partner within the framework of the Misión Observa Bolivia, and focused on enhancing analytical skills through the use of the SentiOne social listening platform. The session was opened by Carolina Floru, ECES Senior Expert in Electoral Observation and Civil Society, who highlighted the central role of civil society in safeguarding the integrity of the information environment during electoral periods. She emphasized that understanding online discourse has become indispensable for capturing emerging risks linked to digital campaigning, and for contributing to transparent and credible electoral processes.
The workshop, led by Pablo Mattos from the EU Election Observation Mission in Colombia, focused on practical techniques for examining online political communication. Using the SentiOne platform, participants learned to monitor content from social networks, news outlets and forums, building on the tool’s previous use during Bolivia’s 2025 national elections. The training demonstrated how digital monitoring can help identify problematic trends such as disinformation, polarization and online harassment, offering valuable insights for electoral analysis.
Participants were introduced to methodologies aligned with European Union practices, including the formulation of structured queries, the use of coding criteria, and the integration of automated monitoring with human interpretation. Emphasis was placed on recognising harmful narratives, including gender-based political violence, while ensuring that monitoring practices uphold fundamental rights. The group also explored how data trends and conversation metrics can enrich qualitative assessments of the electoral context.
Fundación CONSTRUIR’s ten-member team defined several priorities for the 2026 cycle, such as analysing the communication strategies of candidates on major platforms, detecting manipulative or misleading narratives, observing online behaviour of candidates for governorships and mayoralties, and assessing the use of artificial intelligence in campaigns. The training encouraged a clear, evidence-driven approach, supported by verifiable outputs that strengthen the quality of analysis.
Delivered through practical exercises and interactive exchanges, the session helped consolidate both technical skills and analytical confidence among participants. Supported by funding from the European Union and the Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), the initiative reflects ECES’s ongoing commitment to reinforcing civil society’s role in promoting transparent, inclusive and credible elections ahead of Bolivia’s 2026 Subnational Elections.
