OAS Media Release – The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM) headed by the former Uruguayan Deputy Minister Edgardo Ortuño, began its activities earlier this week in preparation for municipal elections to be held on Sunday, February 7th in Costa Rica.
Today, the Chief of Mission and the President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Costa Rica, Luis Antonio Sobrado, signed the Agreement for Observation Procedure, which guarantees the Mission access to all information related to the organization and supervision of the electoral process. In the days before the election, the Mission will hold meetings with electoral and government authorities, as well as with candidates, members of civil society, and security forces.

Sunday´s election will be the first time that voters will choose all the municipal representatives in Costa Rica. The Electoral Code of 2009 established that local elections must occur on the same day and at mid-term (two years after presidential elections). The OAS highlights the importance of these elections as part of the process of decentralization and empowerment of local communities and reiterates the role of citizen participation in strengthening this process.

The Mission is made up of 21 experts and observers who will be deployed in the seven provinces of the country to carry out a detailed analysis of the technical aspects of the election process and monitor the voting and vote counting process.

In 1962, Costa Rica was the first member state to which the OAS deployed a Mission and has since observed 11 elections there. Costa Rica stands out for its solidarity of its democratic system. On Monday, the Mission will make public its preliminary observations. Once the process is completed, a report will be delivered to the Permanent Council of the OAS that will include comments and recommendations.

The 2016 municipal elections in Costa Rica are part of a nationwide democratic process that will elect 6,069 candidates to cantonal posts. With 21 political parties participating, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal has printed 650 distinct ballots.

As of 10:00 am on Sunday morning, the Tribunal had set up polls in various correctional centers, hospitals and retirement homes to serve voters who are serving prison sentences, who are convalescing in bedrest or who are elderly and unable to reach their local polling centers. In Costa Rica, all citizens have the right to vote, which means that the sick, elderly, disabled, and imprisoned must be accommodated.

As previously reported by The Costa Rica Star, this year’s elections have been characterized as being crowded and unusual. Among the more than 6,000 candidates, two of the most popular are former lingerie models, and one female mayoral candidate in San Carlos was besmirched by a fake sex video that leaked on social media.

On election day, 29 candidates were the subject of civil, ethical and even criminal investigations by judicial officials. All those under investigation are currently serving municipal posts and seeking reelection in the most populous cantons.