III 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 447 

Expressing serious concern about widespread irregularities in Bolivia’s October 20, 2019, general elections and supporting the convening of new 

elections in Bolivia at the earliest possible date. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 4, 2019 

Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. 

COONS, and Mr. KAINE) submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing serious concern about widespread irregularities 

in Bolivia’s October 20, 2019, general elections and supporting the convening of new elections in Bolivia at the 

earliest possible date. 

Whereas Evo Morales was elected as the first indigenous 

president of Bolivia in 2005; 

Whereas, in 2009, Bolivians approved by a vote of more than 

60 percent in a nationwide referendum a new constitution 

that established a limit of two 5-year presidential terms; 

Whereas, in 2009 and 2014, President Morales won re-election to a second and third term in office with more than 

60 percent of the vote; 


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•SRES 447 IS 

Whereas, in 2016, 51.3 percent of Bolivian voters rejected a 

national referendum on the proposal by the Administration of President Morales to lift presidential term limits; 

Whereas, in 2017, despite the results of the 2016 national 

referendum, President Morales’ political allies in the Bolivian Constitutional Tribunal removed presidential term 

limits; 

Whereas, on October 20, 2019, amid existing concerns over 

the politicization of Bolivia’s electoral commission, Bolivian voters went to the polls for general elections to choose 

a new president, members of the Senate, and members of 

the Chamber of Deputies; 

Whereas, at the invitation of Morales Administration, the Organization of American States (OAS) General Secretariat 

sent an Electoral Observation Mission to Bolivia that was 

comprised of 92 experts and observers from 24 different 

nationalities deployed in the country’s nine departments 

and in three countries in which Bolivian expatriates could 

cast their votes abroad; 

Whereas, on October 20, 2019, Bolivian electoral authorities 

stopped reporting the preliminary vote count for a period 

of 20 hours, subsequently announced preliminary results 

that negated the need for a second-round election, and 

Evo Morales proclaimed himself the winner of the presidential election; 

Whereas, on October 21, 2019, the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in Bolivia expressed ‘‘deep concern and surprise at the drastic and hard-to-explain change in the 

trend of the preliminary results revealed after the closing 

of the polls’’; 


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•SRES 447 IS 

Whereas, in the aftermath of the October 20, 2019, general 

elections, violent protests occurred throughout Bolivia in 

response to electoral irregularities and the findings of the 

OAS Electoral Observation Mission; 

Whereas, on October 30, 2019, the Morales Administration 

and the OAS General Secretariat signed an agreement to 

have the OAS conduct an audit of the integrity of the 

October 20, 2019, general elections; 

Whereas, on November 10, 2019, an OAS technical mission 

issued a report on its audit of the integrity of the October 20, 2019, general elections, which included findings 

that— 

(1) the preliminary and final election results were 

transmitted via a flawed computer transmission system 

that was accessed by unauthorized outside computer servers; 

(2) there was a deficient chain of custody for and 

significant irregularities in the electoral tally sheets and 

other electoral records; and 

(3) the audit team could not validate the results of 

the election and therefore recommended a new electoral 

process; 

Whereas, on November 10, 2019, President Morales acknowledged the results of the OAS technical mission, announced that he would call new elections, and stated 

that, ‘‘new national elections will allow the Bolivian people to democratically choose new authorities with their 

vote’’; 

Whereas, in the face of widespread public protests and a deteriorating security environment, President Morales departed Bolivia on November 12, 2019, and was granted 

asylum by the Government of Mexico; 


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•SRES 447 IS 

Whereas, on November 12, 2019, the Bolivian Constitutional 

Tribunal recognized an interim president of Bolivia; 

Whereas the transitional government in Bolivia has committed to hold new elections by January 22, 2020; and 

Whereas the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 

stated that protests occurring in Bolivia since the October 20, 2019, general election have left 23 people dead 

and more than 700 people injured: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) expresses concern about the numerous 

3 irregularities that occurred during the October 20, 

4 2019, general elections in Bolivia; 

5 (2) commends the efforts of the OAS Electoral 

6 Observation Mission in Bolivia and supports the 

7 findings of the OAS electoral audit mission, which 

8 documented numerous irregularities during the Oc9 tober 2019 general elections in Bolivia; 

10 (3) deplores the acts of violence that have oc11 curred in Bolivia in the aftermath of the October 20, 

12 2019, general elections and urges all Bolivians to re13 pudiate violence and to peacefully exercise their 

14 rights of freedom of expression and assembly; 

15 (4) urges Bolivia’s transitional government to 

16 work expeditiously to establish the conditions for an 

17 inclusive, credible, transparent, and democratic elec18 tions as soon as possible in accordance with their 

19 laws and constitution; 


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•SRES 447 IS 

1 (5) encourages the Department of State and 

2 the U.S. Mission to the Organization of American 

3 States to provide all appropriate support to facilitate 

4 the convening of free, fair, and transparent demo5 cratic elections in Bolivia as soon as possible in ac6 cordance with their laws and constitution; 

7 (6) encourages the Organization of American 

8 States to take all necessary steps, in accordance with 

9 the principles of the Inter-American Democratic 

10 Charter, to ensure respect for the will of Bolivian 

11 voters and the integrity of the new democratic elec12 tions in Bolivia as soon as possible in accordance 

13 with their laws and constitution; and 

14 (7) supports the call by the Permanent Council 

15 of the Organization of American States for Bolivian 

16 authorities to ensure full respect and protection of 

17 human rights and accountability for any violation 

18 thereof. 

Æ 


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