Promoting dialogue and building confidence between the social and political actors is one of the pillars of the electoral project in Bolivia and a very important part of our work in the field.
In Cochabamba, the police left Chapare province after the incidents that followed the voting in October 2019 and did not return. As a result, the province was left without public security agencies and the banks were closed for months, affecting the social and economic life of the population.
In February, our team supported the Departmental Election Tribunal (DET) establishing multilateral dialogue with the local authorities of the province and the police command. This effort resulted in a public gathering hosted by the DET where all parts were present in order to show their good will to overcome the problems. The pandemic put on hold the process and this incipient concurrence still needs to consolidate, but the previous blockade is already broken, and the dialogue prevails.
We move on in the right direction!
Mauro Calvo, Departmental Electoral Officer for Cochabamba and Tarija