A WEB

At the invitation of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Ecuador, A-WEB sent its Mission to the country to observe general elections and a referendum scheduled for August 20, 2023.

The Mission comprises four representatives from four countries, including Belgium, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and Peru. The observers visited polling stations and the Precinct of Transmission and Publication Minutes (RTPA) in Quito, the capital of Ecuador.

On August 17, Ms. Diana Atamaint, President of the CNE of Ecuador, welcomed international observers and stressed that their presence would contribute to ensuring the credibility and accountability of the elections. The A-WEB Mission had a protocol meeting with the President of the CNE of Ecuador.

International Observers also had a chance to understand electoral management and processes in Ecuador.

International and regional organizations, including the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Union of Electoral Organizations (UNIORE), the European Union, the Association of Electoral Magistrates of the Americas (AMEA), the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), etc., deployed their missions across the country.

On August 18, members of the A-WEB Mission had a briefing session. At the session, Mr. Regis Dandoy, a political science professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), presented an overview of election management in the country and important issues in the 2023 Ecuadorian general elections and referendum. The A-WEB Mission also had a chance to observe the home voting.

On August 19, the overseas voting took place. The A-WEB Mission attended the opening ceremony of the overseas voting held at the CNE building. Also, the A-WEB Mission observed the workflow and management of the overseas voting helpdesk.

The next day, August 20, general elections and a referendum in Ecuador took place. The A-WEB Mission began its activities in the early morning by observing the opening of polls. The poll hours are from 07:00 to 17:00. According to the Democratic Code, voting in Ecuador is compulsory.

The Mission visited polling stations in different districts of the central & south of Quito to observe the voting process. Members of the Mission witnessed the systems with separate polling stations for men and women.

When the polls ended at 17:00, the observers watched the vote-counting process. Depending on the region, voters received from four (4) to six (6) ballots. It had been expected that the counting process could take up to 12 hours.

After observing the vote-counting process, the Mission went to visit the Media Center (Centro de Mando) to attend the presentation of preliminary results of elections organized by the CNE, which was published online as well.

The A-WEB Mission had the Debriefing Session, and the members actively discussed and shared their experience in election management.