The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS/EOM) in Ecuador acknowledges the certification of the numerical results of the presidential election by the National Electoral Council (CNE) on Thursday, April 24.
The OAS/EOM takes this opportunity to reiterate that the results announced by the CNE are consistent with the sample collected by the Mission on the ground. Additionally, the observation team conducted a cross-check of tally sheets at the polling stations visited and verified the full consistency between the transmitted records, the copies provided to political parties, and those returned in the electoral packages.
In recent days, the OAS/EOM carried out a random review exercise of images of tally sheets that had been questioned, comparing them with the results recorded in the Electoral Results Transmission System (SIER), without finding evidence of irregularities or inconsistencies.
The Mission emphasizes that the observations outlined in its Preliminary Report aim to contribute to the strengthening, improvement, and correction of future electoral processes. This is particularly important in light of certain inequities observed during the campaign, which should in no way be interpreted as grounds to support narratives of fraud or manipulation of results.
In this regard, the OAS/EOM clarifies that, although isolated cases were observed where the ink on the ballot paper smudged when folded, it was also observed that, in almost all cases, this issue was resolved at the polling station in the presence of representatives of both presidential tickets, with the clear intent of the voter being respected. The OAS/EOM highlights that there were very few observed cases of vote annulment due to this reason and confirms that this situation could have affected both candidacies equally, with no evidence of any premeditated or systematic effort to annul votes for any particular option.
Under no circumstances do the few cases detected by the OAS/EOM constitute significant events that could affect the validity of the results or the clear and decisive expression of the citizens' will at the polls.
The OAS Electoral Observation Mission reaffirms its full confidence in the results presented by the CNE and recognizes the efforts of the electoral authorities, political party delegates, and citizens to carry out a peaceful, orderly, and transparent election.
The OAS/EOM continues to monitor the progress of the electoral process until the official proclamation of results and reiterates its willingness to engage in dialogue and listen to all political actors who wish to do so.
Reference: E-021/25
