The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM), led by MEP Gabriel Mato, today presented its final report on the recent general elections. The report assesses the electoral process as a whole, in accordance with international standards for democratic elections and national legislation.

The EU EOM underlines that, despite certain imbalances, the elections were conducted in a transparent and well-organised manner, which belies the narratives of fraud. "From the analysis of the mission before, during and after the two appointments with the polls, we reiterate that we have not found objective elements that support the accusations of fraud," said Gabriel Mato. “That said, we were able to identify situations that need to be considered in order to ensure a better balance between candidates”.

The electoral authority acted efficiently, although its public image was marked by polarisation and certain accusations of bias”. He pointed out that there are “key challenges in terms of campaign financing, the use of public media, disinformation and the protection of political rights.

In its final report, the EU EOM makes 15 recommendations aimed at further improving electoral processes in Ecuador and moving towards greater alignment with international standards on democratic elections.

Gabriel Mato appreciated the recent adoption of some reforms in this area, as well as the consensus among different political forces. “I publicly welcome the fact that some of the aspects of the Democracy Code that we highlighted in our Preliminary Declarations that needed to be amended have been amended. Essentially, in relation to the reduction of electoral penalties for a whole series of electoral offences, that a sanction has been established for not applying for a licence from candidates who are obliged to do so, or that sanctions are also provided for candidates for not submitting biweekly financial reports, among others.”

Of the 15 recommendations, the EU EOM identifies five as priorities in different areas:

• Legal Reform and Democratic Guarantees: It is suggested to revise the most severe penalties for electoral infractions to avoid disproportionate restrictions on political rights. Also, review the electoral infraction of gender-based political violence, to ensure that it does not unjustifiably limit women's freedom of expression and right to political participation.
• Electoral institutions: It is advisable to review the system of selection and nomination of electoral authorities to ensure the effective renewal of the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Electoral Dispute Tribunal (TCE).
• Election campaign: In order to mitigate the advantages associated with the office of the official candidates, it is recommended to limit, during the electoral campaign, the activities of the Presidency and the government to the management of current affairs or emergency situations. It is also suggested that the National Assembly recess during this period.
• Government advertising: It emphasizes the need to improve the supervision of government advertising and review the legal framework to expressly prohibit the use of institutional communication for electoral purposes, require the prior approval of the CNE for all official advertising during the campaign, properly label it, and apply effective sanctions in case of non-compliance.

The EU EOM makes its recommendations available to the country and has submitted them for consideration by the new National Assembly, the government, the electoral administration, and Ecuadorian society.

On the EU EOM Ecuador 2025

The EU EOM arrived in Ecuador on 28 December 2024, at the invitation of the National Electoral Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to observe the 2025 General Elections. For almost six months, the mission has observed all aspects of the electoral process in all its phases in 23 provinces of the country. The EU EOM deployed 113 observers from 25 EU Member States, Norway and Canada. The core team consisted of expert analysts in different fields, including electoral administration and technologies, politics, legal framework, media and social networks. The EU EOM is independent in its findings and conclusions, and adheres to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation.