'Ecuador's Democracy Is on the Brink': Progressive International Team to Monitor Election
The vigilance of the world will be critical to preserve it — and help restore democracy to a region in the midst of an authoritarian backslide, the group said in a statement.
27/JAN/2021
New Delhi: Progressive International, an organisation that aims to unite and mobilise left-wing activists and groups, has expressed concerns about the state of democracy in Ecuador, saying “vigilance of the world will be critical to preserve it”.
The country is scheduled to elect a new government on February 7, but many hurdles could prevent the people from exercising their constitutional right, the group said in a statement.
Since the violent crackdowns on IMF protests in 2019 and the persistent threats to cancel next month’s election, Ecuador is facing its “most severe crisis in a generation”, Progressive International said.
Ecuador has also been particularly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Its death toll of 40,000, is nearly double that of the US in per capita terms.
The pandemic could “provide cover for further erosion” of Ecuador’s democracy, Progressive International said.
The organisation also expressed concerns over the recent changes to the ballot counting process in Ecuador. Unlike in the 2017 elections, where each precinct scanned its results and uploaded them directly to the country’s election council, the ballots cast in the upcoming election will be scanned and sent to a ballot receiving center, which will process the results and then send them onto the council.
More:
https://thewire.in/world/ecuador-democracy-election-progressive-international-delegation-monitor
