OAS Must Retract Its Accusations on Electoral Fraud in Bolivia

The Puebla Group, a political and academic forum composed of political representatives from various parts of the world, requested the Organization of American States (OAS) to reconsider its controversial report on the alleged fraud in the Bolivia elections in 2019. The group feels there is sufficient evidence to question the conclusions.

RELATED:
OAS Report on Fraud in Bolivia’s Elections "Deficient": Study

The Puebla Group expressed concern over new evidence found in a study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Tulane, Rodriguez, Idrobo, and Kronick, found that the OAS report on the alleged fraud was "deficient," based on "incorrect data" and "inappropriate statistical techniques."

According to the Puebla Group, the hasty declaration by the OAS, which has already been demonstrated by several studies, adds sufficient evidence for the organization to retract its accusations that resulted in a strong political crisis in the Andean country.

The researchers demonstrated that there were no variations in voting patterns within polling stations after the preliminary counting interruption. Even the trajectories in voting trends do not vary from previous election patterns, they said.

This study is in addition to other reports such as those of researchers at the MIT Electoral Laboratory, published in the Washington Post, and the various studies of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).

The group of intellectuals and leaders also called on the international community, in denouncing the actions committed by the OAS in the Bolivian case. The group called them as reproachable and stated that if the report's intent is proven, there will be sufficient evidence of the multilateral body's complicity in the overthrow of a democratic government.

For these reasons, the Puebla Group urged the OAS to immediately clarify each of the elements that have been presented by the new study. At the same time, they requested the presence of an independent commission unrelated to the OAS Secretary-General, which will be responsible for restoring democratic legitimacy in Bolivia in the upcoming elections.

The OAS report on the alleged electoral fraud led to the radicalization of the Bolivian political opposition, resulting in a coup d 'état against the then-President of Bolivia, Evo Morales.