CAPEL 54 ing.pdf 3/19/10 3:43:59 PM Authors: 54 Trends and perspectives of the Harry Brown Araúz Electoral Reform in Latin America Manuel Carrillo Poblano Jimena Costa Benavides Several authors C Pedro Figueroa R. M Y Claudia López CM Miguel A. López V. MY Ernesto Paz Aguilar CY CMY Rotsay Rosales Valladares K José Thompson Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla Elisabeth Ungar Bleier CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 1 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM Inter-American Institute of Human Rights General Assembly (2007-2009) Thomas Buergenthal Honorary President Sonia Picado S. President Mónica Pinto Vice-President Margareth E. Craham Vice-President Pedro Nikken Permanent Advisor Mayra Alarcón Alba Line Bareiro Lloyd G. Barnett César Barros Leal Allan Brewer-Carías Marco Tulio Bruni-Celli Antônio A. Cancado Trindade Gisele Côté-Harper Mariano Fiallos Oyanguren Héctor Fix-Zamudio Robert K. Goldman Claudio Grossman María Elena Martínez Juan E. Méndez Sandra Morelli Rico Elizabeth Odio Benito Nina Pacari Máximo Pacheco Gómez Hernán Salgado Pesantes Wendy Singh Rodolfo Stavenhagen Inter-American Commission Inter-American Court of Human Rights of Human Rights Paolo G. Carozza Cecilia Medina-Quiroga Luz Patricia Mejía Diego García-Sayán Felipe González Manuel E. Ventura Robles Florentín Meléndez Sergio García-Ramírez Victor E. Abramovich Leonardo Franco Clare Kamau Roberts Margarette May Macaulay Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro Rhadys Abreu Blondet Roberto Cuéllar M. Executive Director CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 2 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 1 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 2 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE ELECTORAL REFORM IN LATIN AMERICA SERIE CUADERNOS DE CAPEL CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 3 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 4 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE ELECTORAL REFORM IN LATIN AMERICA IIHR-CAPEL Inter-American Institute of Human Rights Center for Electoral Assistance and Promotion 2009 CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 5 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM First Edition ©IIDH-CAPEL, Costa Rica, 2009 The opinions expressed by the authors on CAPEL NOTEBOOKS do not necessarily reflect the point of view of IIDH/CAPEL. 324 I59-t Instituto Interamericano de Derechos Humanos. Trends and perspectives of the electoral reform in Latin America / Instituto Interamericano de Derechos Humanos. -- San José, C.R. : IIDH, 2009 194 p. 13X21 cm. (Cuaderno de capel; no. 54) ISBN 978-9968-611-36-7 1 Derechos electoral 2. Reforma electoral The materials published here may be reproduced in whole or in part, provided these are not altered, the corresponding credits are assigned, and copy of the publication or reproduction is submitted to the editor. Production Team: José Thompson María Lourdes González Arias Academic Coordination Harry Brown Araúz, Manuel Carrillo Poblano, Jimena Costa Benavides, Roberto Cuéllar M., Pedro Figueroa R., Claudia López, Miguel A. López V., Ernesto Paz Aguilar, Rotsay Rosales Valladares, José Thompson, Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla, Elisabeth Ungar Bleier Authors IIDH Information and Editorial Service Unit Prepress Ileana Aguilar Comparison in Spanish Ana Marcela Herrera Translation to English Walter Meoño Diagramming Imprenta y Litografía Segura Hermanos Printing Inter-American Institute of Human Rights Apartado Postal 10.081-1000 San José, Costa Rica Tel.: (506) 2234-0404 Fax: (506) 2234-0955 e-mail: [email protected] www.iidh.ed.cr CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 6 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM Contents Presentation ...................................................................................... 9 Electoral Reform in Latin America: Tendencies and Perspectives .......................................................... 13 José Thompson Electoral Reforms in Bolivia ......................................................... 25 Jimena Costa Benavides Present and Future of the Electoral Reform in Chile ..................... 45 Miguel A. López V. Pedro Figueroa R. The Political and Electoral Reform in Colombia: A Reform to Recover Politics ............................................................................. 71 Elisabeth Ungar Bleier The Winding Road of the Electoral Reform in Costa Rica ........... 89 Rotsay Rosales Valladares Current Situation of the Political Reforms in Honduras ............. 105 Ernesto Paz Aguilar The new electoral reform in Mexico 2007-2008 ......................... 129 Manuel Carrillo Poblano 7 CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 7 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM Electoral Reform in Panama ........................................................ 145 Harry Brown Araúz Electoral Reform in Peru ............................................................. 159 Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla Risks during the Local Elections in Colombia: A Comparative Analysis of the Last Three Mayoral Elections ....................................................................... 173 Claudia López CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 8 4/20/10 3:46:12 PM Presentation During the last three decades, Latin America has undergone a steady process of return and consolidation of democracy. This process has been characterized, among other aspects, by the standardization of electoral processes as a mechanism to choose national authorities, the recovery and validity of civil and political freedoms, and, in some cases, the fight and efforts to reestablish the respect for human rights. A cornerstone of this democratic reestablishment and consolidation has been the implementation of political and institutional reform processes aimed at adapting the legal contexts of the countries to the emerging political realities. Therefore, there was an evident need for adjustments to the electoral systems but also to the governmental systems and the different existing institutions and mechanisms whose purpose was to strengthen democratic representation, participation, and governance. Except for a very few cases, we can assert that almost every country has got involved in this reforming effort. From different perspectives, the countries in the region have gradually and promptly dealt with the issues needed to strengthen their democratic development. More than comprehensive reforms, we have witnessed a trend towards specific reforms, and we have focused on issues that are at the core of the political debate in each country, according to the different political and social situations. The studies presented herein, specifically the experiences of political reform in Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, are just a sample of the different reforming practices in the region in the last few years. These papers were submitted during an international conference on the electoral- political reform in Latin America and Colombia held in Bogotá on June 19-20, 2008, sponsored by the Swedish International Development 9 CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 9 4/20/10 3:46:13 PM Trends and Perspectives of the Electoral Reform in Latin America Cooperation Agency. This event, organized by IIHR/CAPEL, under the auspices of the National Civil Registry of Colombia, the National Electoral Council, and the Election Observation Mission (EOM), was aimed at promoting a wide debate about the experiences and lessons learned in the area of Latin American electoral reform. The wide acceptance and participation in this event encouraged us to continue with the debate captured in this publication. Based on the cases analyzed herein, we can see, specifically, that there are some recurring issues that have been at the core of the reform debate in the last few years, among them, political party financing, implementation of direct democracy mechanisms, inclusion of positive discrimination mechanisms in the gender approach, presidential reelection, and the electoral system. Even though these have not been the issues subject to reform, in general most countries have attempted to make progress in the regulation of these issues. Another important aspect to point out is that the reform processes in Latin America have been gradual and that each country has progressed at its own pace, with different degrees of regulation and detail, according to its specific needs and historical situation. In this sense, an important fact is that in matters of reform, there are not ideal recipes or systems; therefore, each country should make progress according to its specific reality and political culture within democratic parameters and within the framework of the Inter- American Democratic Charter. Finally, it is important to point out the persistence of certain vices that sometimes hinder the success and viability of the reform processes in Latin America. In fact, besides important achievements, there have also been failed attempts at promoting important processes of institutional change because most of the time the interests to keep the status quo are stronger than the drive and need for change and renewal. In this sense, the cases studied illustrate the close relationship between the dynamics and the political interests and their impact on the results of reform. To sum up, these articles clearly show a wide range of advances and setbacks, limitations, and challenges in the area of political reform 10 CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 10 4/20/10 3:46:13 PM Trends and Perspectives of the Electoral Reform in Latin America in Latin America. Aware of its constant evolution and dynamics, we address this topic in such a way that upon reading these cases, you will be encouraged to reflect and give feedback about similar processes in the region. Roberto Cuéllar M. IIHR Executive Director José Thompson CAPEL Director 11 CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 11 4/20/10 3:46:13 PM CAPEL 54 Inglés.indd 12