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XV UNIORE Conference in Dominican Republic

Inauguration of the XV UNIORE Conference with DR as host country

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Inauguration of the XV UNIORE Conference with DR as host country 5354 0

Event coincides with the 30th anniversary of the organization that brings together 24 countries

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Santo Domingo.- The XV Conference of the Inter-American Union of Electoral Bodies (UNIORE) was inaugurated this Monday, an event that coincides with the 30th anniversary of the creation of the entity that brings together 33 electoral bodies, this time with the Dominican Republic as a country host, represented by the Central Electoral Board (JCE) and the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

The event, which will take place on November 1 and 2 at the Embassy Suite by Hilton Hotel in the city of Santo Domingo, brings together delegations from more than 19 UNIORE member countries.

The words of welcome were given by José Thompson Jiménez, executive director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights / Center for Electoral Advice and Promotion, an entity that serves as the Executive Secretariat of UNIORE, who stressed that despite the pandemic upsetting times with rescheduling and postponements, including the activities of this body, in this part of the world could be carried out some.

"In this part of the world, democracy could be reprogrammed, we had elections, a very special recognition to this Dominican Republic, which was the first country to have elections at the first moment of the pandemic and we were able to learn from you and the lessons of that process" , he highlighted.

Concluye la primera parte de esta XV Conferencia de la #UNIORE. pic.twitter.com/rWUec4DpAR

— UNIORE (@UNIORE) November 1, 2021

Thompson Jiménez, said that it is necessary for this conference to focus on the route to reject attacks on the electoral system and strengthen electoral institutions in the region. In turn, he asked that the debates be rich in ideas and initiatives to face the risks and threats that arise.

Words from the co-chairs of the XV UNIORE Conference

While at the end of his turn, the president of the Central Electoral Board and co-president of UNIORE, Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, passed a historical review of the democratic system until today, to reach the political and electoral administration, highlighting that “we are the region of the world with a technically integrated electoral system ”.

However, Jáquez Liranzo specified that there are still traces of the past, and that they can see that many, by not winning the favor of the people, incur the discredit of the electoral bodies, lacerating the democratic system.

"We have appreciated how independence has been fiercely attacked," warned the president of the JCE, who highlighted that the presence of disturbing actions against electoral institutions in Latin America have been diverse, such as economic strangulation, limiting the budget with which they put into action. march their functions and affecting the autonomy regime.

Likewise, he highlighted the reality of the massification of technological media, which although they have meant a democratization of information, they have also brought with them false information and disinformation, which like a great snowball are driven to affect the credibility of the processes.

He pointed out that all of the above has led to a stage of things in which not only has the extreme of going beyond questioning the electoral results, but the physical integrity of the members that make up the electoral bodies in the region and even their families.

“It would seem that the narrative of discredit would stop there, but it is not like that: there is a modality of attack that is focused on the Latin American electoral model, publicly asking, on occasions, that the democratic achievements of its independence from the government be reversed and that we move on to a model where elections are organized by levels of the Executive Power. This would be a deadly blow to Latin American democracy, which must pay a sharp eye not only to electoral bodies and the entities that group it, but to all political parties and society. Democracy must be everyone's priority ”, declared Jáquez Liranzo.

Finally, he stated that UNIORE has valued all of the above in an attempt to strengthen democracy and the electoral system and has called for the criticism to be maintained within the framework of the respect and the corresponding jurisdictional channels.

Likewise, Ygnacio Camacho, president of the TSE, highlighted that both this XV UNIORE Conference and an activity of the Global Electoral Justice Network are focused on promoting the strengthening of participation processes.

"This XV conference strengthens and strengthens the relationship and electoral exchange, knowing about the practices in the region is essential to consolidate democracy throughout Latin America," said Camacho, who called for continuing to be efficient, honest and upright, since it has It has always been one of the objectives that UNIORE has had in terms of processes, because it has been part of the perennial struggle undertaken since its foundation in 1991.

They cite four great challenges to face

On this occasion, UNIORE held its conference "Challenges of Electoral Democracy and Institutionality", by Lorenzo Córdoba Vianello, president of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico, who warned about four challenges facing the region in the face of new times.

According to the lecturer, these challenges focus on: first, the pandemic and what it entails, such as carrying out the processes, the resulting economic crisis and preventing the spread of infections; second, polarization and tolerance, which has accompanied political life where different positions are confronted; third, misinformation and fake news; and fourthly, attacks on electoral bodies.

"Today the challenges that democracy faces around the world are very similar and although they present different features at times, the context makes the difference; in any case, they are challenges that democracy faces," he said.

The Vice President of the Dominican Republic, Raquel Peña; Román Andrés Jáquez Liranzo, president of the Central Electoral Board of the Dominican Republic and Co-President of UNIORE; Ygnacio Pascual Camacho Hidalgo, president of the Superior Electoral Tribunal, and Co-President of UNIORE; José Thompson Jiménez, executive director of the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights / Electoral Advisory and Promotion Center, who serves as the Executive Secretariat of UNIORE. Also the presiding counselor of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico, magistrate Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, as well as the members and titular judges of the two electoral bodies of the Dominican Republic.

In addition, there were representatives of the 33 electoral organizations that make up UNIORE, of the political parties, as well as international guests and personalities of the multilateral organizations.

From the conference, during the event agreements are made and recommendations are generated to be put into practice in the electoral bodies that are members of UNIORE.

The plenaries will be moderated by the pro tempore co-presidents of UNIORE, justices Román Jáquez Liranzo and Ygnacio Pascual Camacho Hidalgo, presidents of the JCE and the TSE of the Dominican Republic, respectively.

About UNIORE

UNIORE is an instrument of horizontal cooperation between the electoral bodies that comprise it. Created to reaffirm the relevance of democracy as the only system that allows the development of the human being in an environment of full freedom; is born in the awareness that the exchange of information and good practices in electoral matters, the observation of electoral processes, the opportune consultations, recommendations and assistance between the Electoral Bodies, constitute decisive factors for the establishment and consolidation of democracy through suffrage. 

UNIORE is made up of the electoral bodies of Central America and the Caribbean (members of the Tikal Protocol) and South America (members of the Quito Protocol), as well as other Electoral Bodies of America that request it.

 

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