Access to Information on Elections (Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador)

When? Thursday, September 9, 2021 at 4pm (EST, La Paz), 3pm (Lima, Quito), 5pm (Santiago).

Video recording in Spanish below. Please choose closed captions – settings for either Spanish subtitles or English translation.

Speakers:

• Gerardo Sánchez, Specialist, Department of Electoral Cooperation and Observation (DECO), Organization of American States (OAS)

• Daniela Hormazabal, Researcher, Consejo Directivo del Servicio Electoral, Chile

• Kathryn Ledebur, Director, Andean Information Network, Bolivia

• Demetrio Lazagna, Country Director, International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Ecuador

Moderator: Clare Seelke, Specialist in Latin American Affairs, US Congressional Research Service (CRS)

Rapporteuses: María Antonieta Ubillo, Defensoría Nacional, Chile y Evelyn Lagos, Library of Congress, Chile

COVID-19 has significantly impacted multiple democratic and electoral processes in Latin America and the Caribbean. Governments have had to balance public health policies with the need to pursue important political processes. Recent elections in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile are all examples of the different challenges of conducting political processes in the middle of a pandemic which continues to ravage the region. Our panelists discussed the impact of the pandemic in the election calendar and processes and how it might affect public trust in government and future elections.