IDEA provides support to the referendum process in Bolivia

In May, IDEA participated in a project to support the democratic transition in Bolivia. Following the turmoil of last year and national popular demonstrations, a constitutional reform was enacted in February 2004 that defines an agenda to guide the transition. It was articulated around three major events: the holding of a referendum on 18 July 2004 on the management of gas reserves, the first to be held in a time of democracy under the legal framework of Bolivia; the holding of municipal elections in December 2004, following approval of the ‘desmonopolización de la representación política’, implying that not only political parties but also groups of citizens and indigenous peoples can put forward candidates to contest all polls; and the inauguration of the Constitutional Assembly in June 2005.

Despite the difficult challenges facing the transition, it could represent an historic opportunity to lay down new and more inclusive foundations for the institutional and social framework. The success of the transition will ultimately depend on the ability of the political/social/economic leaderships to agree on new rules of the game, and on their capacity to do so while social conflicts are intensifying, to the point where they could lead to the suspension of democratic institutions. However, a precondition for the (possible) success of the transition is that the three major events mentioned above take place in a transparent, inclusive and ultimately legitimate manner. The National Electoral Court will have a crucial part to play in this regard.

In cooperation with the Organization of American States (OAS), IDEA responded to the request of the National Electoral Court to provide support vis-à-vis the referendum process. Five public seminars to highlight comparative experiences of referenda were held in May in Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz, Sucre, and Tarija, drawing lessons in particular from Colombia (Ivan Marulanda and Antonio Lizarazo) and Uruguay (Rodolfo Gonzales Rissotto).

These seminars served to encourage as wide a range of actors as possible from the Bolivian political and civil society spheres to contribute to the referendum process. They also sought to bridge the divide between La Paz and the regions of Bolivia. In addition, the seminars contributed to the provision of preliminary information on the referendum and to the strengthening of the National Electoral Court (as well as its ‘departamentales’) at the regional level, thus increasing the legitimacy of the referendum process itself.

IDEA will closely monitor the referendum process, while exploring new opportunities to support the democratic transition in Bolivia, particularly in relation to constitutional reform.

Related papers:

• Issues relating to a referendum in Bolivia - An Electoral Processes Team Working Paper
• IDEA's opening speech at the May seminars in Bolivia