A WEB

Contributed by Neena Seewoo, Deputy Chief Electoral Commissioner  

Office of the Electoral Commissioner, Mauritius 

The Office of the Electoral Commissioner of Mauritius was invited to be part of A-WEB’s Election Observation Mission to Ecuador, through an Election Visitor Program (EVP). The Republic of Ecuador held a sectional election, elections of the Council of Citizen Participation and Social Control, and a referendum on 5 February 2023 organized by the National Electoral Council (CNE). 

In 2023, the country has 13,450,047 registered voters; whilst Mauritius has 976,032 registered voters. Through the EVP, I was about to witness elections on a huge scale, for a total of 40,714 polling stations and 4,380 electoral precincts, nationwide and abroad. In my 13 years of experience in an election management body, I participated in two election observation missions, the first one was in Madagascar in 2013 and Ecuador is the second. I could witness a wide array of similarities and differences, yet the underlying aspirations for credible, free, and fair elections, are the same.

The briefing document containing all essential information about the EVP was sent well in advance. The online communication with the A-WEB Secretariat all throughout the process was reassuring. 

Travelling to the other side of the world, exciting as it sounds, has its own set of challenges. Mauritius, a small volcanic island, at sea level, and flying to Latin America located 2,500 meters above sea level, the effects of high altitude, demanded another level of adaptation from my body. My sleep pattern was also disrupted due to the difference of nine hours from my home country. My immune system reached a low point, had a fever and I was eventually diagnosed with influenza. The medical team organized by the CNE intervened promptly. Despite my poor health, I had many positive experiences in Ecuador.

I had a warm welcome from a member of the CNE right at the exit of the plane, who expedite procedural matters and within 2 hours I was already in my room in Swissôtel, Quito. 

A three-day extensive briefing session was conducted at the seat of the hotel, from 1 to 3 February. The President of the CNE of Ecuador, Ms. Diana Atamaint, emphasized that the presence of international observers would contribute to the accountability and credibility of the electoral process. The agenda consisted of presentations and discussions. A multi-stakeholder approach was adopted, allowing all participants within the process to interact, and share information and knowledge which shed light on the management of voting, counting, and tabulation procedures for the impending election in Ecuador. A lot to digest! In less than 72 hours, I learnt many new features of elections, inter alia;

1. 1. Voluntary and compulsory voting
2. 2. Voting certificate to voters after voting
3. 3. Fine on failure to vote
4. 4. Voting from home
5. 5. Voting from broad
6. 6. Voting by non-convicted prisoners
7. 7. Men and women voting separately in polling stations 
8. 8. Prevailing political climate
9. 9. The referendum
10. 10. The dry law “ley seca” - interdiction to consume, sell or buy alcohol all over the country from 36 hours before to 12 hours after the election day
11. 11. Electoral officials – 65% are university students others are recruited amongst registered voters in the vicinity

The A-WEB Mission was led by Mr. Jorge Morales from the Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic and composed of nine representatives from eight countries including Belgium, Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mauritius, Moldova, Paraguay, and Samoa. 

I had the opportunity to interact with various members of the electoral fraternity as well as some from international and regional organizations. 

On 02 February, a nationwide PPL Voting was launched to cater for 5,497 non-convicted prisoners of voting age, voted in 35 prison centers and I attended the event along with the A-WEB team from 6.30 a.m. In the following days, the team also had the opportunity to observe the process of at-home voting and internet voting. Some 409,250 Ecuadorians from abroad had the opportunity to vote online and in consular buildings for the CPCCS elections and national referendums only, not for the other four sectional elections, notably, provinces parishes, and municipalities. This clearly demonstrates the extent to which a democratic country goes to safeguard citizens’ right to participate in elections, an inclusive approach that is extended well beyond precincts and polling stations. All these events were novel experiences for me.

A briefing session was held, specifically for the A-WEB team by Professor Regis Dandoy, a political science professor at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), zooming in on the specific features of the local elections and referendum. This meeting has set the tone of the Mission, with pertinent questions and insightful comments from team members. We also got better acquainted with each team member. An observation checklist was also provided by A-WEB with prompting questions and space for further views and comments during observation of voting, counting, and vote tabulation.

The observation team was deployed in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, which was a unique and challenging election observation as six elections took place simultaneously: sectional elections (provinces), mayoral elections (municipalities), urban and rural councilors elections (municipalities), members of rural parish councils’ elections (parishes), CPPCS elections (nationwide, 3 ballots) and a referendum (nationwide). 

On 5 February, polling day, the Mission left the hotel at 6 in the morning to observe the opening of polls and proceeded to other electoral precincts to observe the voting process in multiple polling stations in Carcelén, Guayllabamba, Iñaquito, Pomasqui, and Tumbaco. The polling hours were from 7.00 to 17.00 hrs. At the close of the poll, the team proceeded to the vote-counting process. All throughout, we were escorted by members of the police and felt reasonably safe. I was truly grateful for the presence of the paramedical team, who were needed at some point. From this moment, I was advised to completely rest.

Some remarkable differences compared to Mauritius are as follows:

Debriefing was held after each milestone was completed. I was impressed by the active exchange of observations made and knowledge shared. On election night, observers of the A-WEB Mission undertook an overall de-briefing of the electoral process and a preliminary report was drafted accordingly. On 6 February, a preliminary election observation report on the 2023 local council elections was delivered to the CNE of Ecuador.

An election is in the nuts and bolts of the process, the manpower, machine, money, and materials if managed efficiently, create a synergy to eventually bring about positive improvement.  

Overall, the Ecuadorian polling day was well organized and held in a peaceful manner and participative spirit. Whichever the size of a country, the bottom line of electoral processes and election observation, adopts the same fundamental principles.

The long journey to a South American continent across the globe with an enriching experience.