Title: A 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.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution expresses the Senate's concern over irregularities in the 2019 general elections in Bolivia, supports the expeditious convening of new democratic elections that are free, fair, and transparent, and urges all Bolivians to repudiate violence and peacefully exercise their rights.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 447 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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;
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'';
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;
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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses concern about the numerous irregularities 
        that occurred during the October 20, 2019, general elections in 
        Bolivia;
            (2) commends the efforts of the OAS Electoral Observation 
        Mission in Bolivia and supports the findings of the OAS 
        electoral audit mission, which documented numerous 
        irregularities during the October 2019 general elections in 
        Bolivia;
            (3) deplores the acts of violence that have occurred in 
        Bolivia in the aftermath of the October 20, 2019, general 
        elections and urges all Bolivians to repudiate violence and to 
        peacefully exercise their rights of freedom of expression and 
        assembly;
            (4) urges Bolivia's transitional government to work 
        expeditiously to establish the conditions for an inclusive, 
        credible, transparent, and democratic elections as soon as 
        possible in accordance with their laws and constitution;
            (5) encourages the Department of State and the U.S. Mission 
        to the Organization of American States to provide all 
        appropriate support to facilitate the convening of free, fair, 
        and transparent democratic elections in Bolivia as soon as 
        possible in accordance with their laws and constitution;
            (6) encourages the Organization of American States to take 
        all necessary steps, in accordance with the principles of the 
        Inter-American Democratic Charter, to ensure respect for the 
        will of Bolivian voters and the integrity of the new democratic 
        elections in Bolivia as soon as possible in accordance with 
        their laws and constitution; and
            (7) supports the call by the Permanent Council of the 
        Organization of American States for Bolivian authorities to 
        ensure full respect and protection of human rights and 
        accountability for any violation thereof.
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