EU Election Observation Mission Publishes Final Findings with 19 Recommendations to Strengthen Future Elections

On the presentation of the final report, Chief Observer and Member of the European Parliament Davor Stier stressed that "Bolivia has demonstrated a strong commitment to democracy in 2025. The 19 recommendations we present today are a roadmap toward more transparent and inclusive electoral processes. Their implementation depends on the political will of Bolivian stakeholders, and we trust that it will be possible to build broad consensus around these reforms."

The report contains the final findings in each observation area, as well as 19 recommendations focused on improving future electoral processes. Among them, the EU EOM highlights five priority recommendations:

1. For the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE): Reinforce transparency by ensuring that the TSE promptly adopts and publishes its decisions, regulations, and other relevant documentation, including on the preliminary results system (SIREPRE), while guaranteeing public access to information on its plenary sessions, in line with the law.

2. Regarding candidate registration: Establish and enforce a clear and reasonable deadline for candidate withdrawals, disqualifications, and substitutions to ensure that the registration process is completed in time for ballot production and for voters to make an informed choice.

3. In the area of campaign finance: Level the playing field and strengthen political organisations by reintroducing direct annual public funding for political organisations and apply and expand upon existing public funding for electoral campaigns to cover activities beyond electoral propaganda.

4. For public media: Introduce a law on public media clearly setting out principles of pluralism, impartiality and independence from the executive.

5. In the digital environment: Adopt a digital rights law to guarantee access to public information and protect citizens privacy and freedom of expression online.

The 19 recommendations will be shared with the TSE, elected legislators, and electoral stakeholders in a workshop to take place tomorrow, Tuesday, in La Paz. These discussions will address the main challenges, the initiatives needed for implementation, and the institutional support required.

The EU EOM arrived in Bolivia on 10 July to observe all stages of the electoral process, and on the election days of 17 August and 19 October deployed more than 140 observers across the country's nine departments.

The full final report can be downloaded here: