NDP, Green MPs raise concern over Canada’s trust in OAS election monitoring in Bolivia

As doubt grows over the monitoring of the last Bolivian election, NDP and Green Party MPs have raised their concern over the ability for the Organization of American States to be trusted to oversee a pivotal election in September. Recent studies have suggested that the decision of the Organization of American States (OAS) Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia to flag the suspension of the release of the vote count as a sign of electoral fraud was flawed. During the night of the Oct. 20, 2019, election, Bolivia's election authority stopped publicly releasing preliminary results after it had more than 80 per cent of the vote tallied. The OAS released a statement the next day alleging that when more results came, they had “an inexplicable change in trend that drastically modifies the fate of the election and generates a loss of confidence in the electoral process.” A study by U.S. academics found that assertion to be flawed, as The New York Times reported earlier this month. That study follows an analysis by two Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers that found that the trend shouldn't be linked to fraud, as “there does not seem to be a statistically significant difference in the margin before and after the halt of the preliminary vote,” they wrote in The Washington Post. NDP MP Jack Harris (St. John's East, N.L.) told The Hill Times that the Canadian government was too quick to accept accusations of voter fraud. NPD MP Jack Harris says there should be a large body of observers overseeing the next Bolivian election and not just the OAS. The Hill Times file photograph “It seems that the Government of Canada very quickly recognized the changeover and appeared to be supporting the change,” he said. “I don't think we should be doing that.” “ should be going out of its way to ensure that what happened in Bolivia in the fall is something that the Bolivian people actually want.” Mr. Harris, the NDP's foreign affairs critic, also said it was “very unfortunate” that Canada played a large role in a process that led to a change in government. On Oct. 29, Global Affairs released a statement proclaiming that it was “deeply concerned by additional reports of serious election irregularities,” and cited the delay in disseminating election results. “These issues cast serious doubt over the legitimacy of the results and it is not possible to accept the outcome under these circumstances,” the statement read. Canada trailed both the U.S. and the European Union in its condemnation of the Bolivian election. Following the OAS public comments on the suspension of releasing voting results, anti-government protests heightened with then-president Evo Morales losing the support of Bolivian security forces. Soon after, Mr. Morales went into exile in Mexico. Then-Foreign Affairs minister Chrystia Freeland (University-Rosedale, Ont.) released a statement on Nov. 10 noting the resignation of Mr. Morales and welcomed the OAS call for new elections. Ms. Freeland also called for those elections to be monitored by the OAS. Former Canadian diplomat Patricia Fortier, who served as ambassador to Bolivia and Peru from 2011 to 2015, said the government's approach to the Bolivian election was “very measured,” as it waited for the OAS's preliminary conclusions before alleging electoral fraud had taken place. “The OAS has kind of tainted itself by acting so hastily delegitimizing the election with a questionable approach,” Mr. Harris said. Mr. Harris said the focus now has to be for Bolivia to have free and fair elections. “I think there ought to be a larger body of international observers, not just the OAS,” he said, suggesting one group that should pitch in would be Ottawa-based democracy promotion group Canadem. Elections were supposed to be held in Bolivia in May, but were pushed back to Sept. 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A Global Affairs spokesperson said that Canada supports free and fair elections in Bolivia. “Free, open, and informed debate is essential to the functioning of democracies, and Canada welcomes public scrutiny of democratic processes, including electoral observation missions,” John Babcock said. Ms. Fortier, who was a senior adviser to the OAS Electoral Observation Mission to Peru in 2006, said the more electoral observation organizations that are present the better. “That means there are lots of eyes and ears and they all will have a slightly different point of view,” she said. The benefit with the OAS monitoring, Ms. Fortier said, is they have a lot of experience with difficult elections. “Everybody is using them as a punching bag and they carry on,” she said. “They do it really well. They are professional.” “Because they are made up of all the countries of the hemisphere, there's always good representation on the observation missions. You don't get one point of view.” Ms. Fortier added that unlike non-governmental groups, the OAS will stay for the long term, which can become necessary after a polarized election. Green Party MP Paul Manly says the OAS is 'not a credible, impartial player when it comes to leftist governments in South America.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade “The OAS is important because it is a multilateral institution ... and has the capacity to deploy beforehand, stay throughout and continue afterwards if necessary,” she said, citing the case of the 1994 Dominican Republic elections. When other democracy promotion groups left, the OAS stayed behind to foster negotiations and meditation in the months that followed. Two subsequent reports released by the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia found other evidence of fraud, including the diverting of ballot data away from the servers of the Bolivian electoral authority to two private servers. The OAS alleged that more than 38,000 votes were tempered with, which is more than the number of votes that Mr. Morales used to claim victory over his opponents. Green Party MP Paul Manly (Nanaimo-Ladysmith, B.C.) told The Hill Times that the Canadian government was too quick to accept the elevation of the government of Bolivian interim President Jeanine Áñez. He added that he is concerned over the role the OAS may play in the next election in September. The OAS is “not a credible, impartial player when it comes to leftist governments in South America,” Mr. Manly said. “It was established to advance U.S. interests,” he said. “It has undue influence on other members.” Mr. Harris said the OAS has not historically been seen as a supporter of democracy in the Americas, but rather a “tool of the United States.” “I do know that the United States is very interested in seeing Morales replaced, so I wouldn't want us to be caught up in someone else's machinations,” he said. nmoss@hilltimes.com The Hill Times

NDP, Green MPs raise concern over Canada’s trust in OAS election monitoring in Bolivia

'[Canada] should be going out of its way to ensure that what happened in Bolivia in the fall is something that the Bolivian people actually want,' says NDP MP Jack Harris.

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NDP, Green MPs raise concern over Canada’s trust in OAS election monitoring in Bolivia

'[Canada] should be going out of its way to ensure that what happened in Bolivia in the fall is something that the Bolivian people actually want,' says NDP MP Jack Harris.

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