Federal Electoral Institute

Scope of countries

For specific information on individual countries, please visit the country pages below

Costa Rica
Cuba
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Guatemala
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Puerto Rico

Welcome to the Regional Centre for Central America. This page is facilitated by Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), an associated member of the ACE network.

Here you will find updated information about the region, such as electoral news, case studies and election-related links, as well as some figures relevant for recent elections of the countries to your right and information on electoral-related events.

To access this material, use the menus to the right. If you need information about other regions, select another Regional Centre from the drop-down menu on the left side.

Get in touch with the Centre through our e-mail or phone us at:

+52 (55) 5449-0446

+52 (55) 5449-0450

To send a fax:

+52 (55) 5449-0448

+52 (55) 5449-0457

Regional Election Spotlight

Forthcoming elections 2008

Honduras

| Primaries

November 30th

NICARAGUA

MUNICIPALITIES

Sunday, November 9th took place the election in 146 municipalities for 3.863,837 millon Nicaraguans to choose at the 11,808 polling stations installed for their closer authorities.

By November 10th 1'795,286 votes had been counted from 10,162 polling stations, meaning a turnout of 46.46%

The results have been made available by the Supreme Electoral Council for your convenience.

Nicaragua is divided into 153 municipalities.

Elections in the Autonomous Region of the North Atlantic (RAAN) were delayed.

MEXICO

MUNICIPALITIES

On Sunday November 9th elections were held at the state of Hidalgo, center of the country. 1.756,434 million citizens were registered to vote and choose the authorities to 84 municipalities in the state.

3,219 polling stations were installed throughout the 15 electoral districts in which the state is divided. The turnout was of 987,460 voters, which represents 56.5% of the registered voters.

Preliminary results can be consulted here. (in Spanish)

PUERTO RICO

GENERAL ELECTIONS

At the general elections hel last Tuesday, November 4th a number of 2.458,036 million voters were registered. With these exercise the Governor, the Resident Commisioner, congressmen, senators and majors were elected.

There were 1,782 polling stations installed at the 110 electoral precintcs of the island, with no more than 500 registered voters each.

1'856,157 votes had been counted, giving victory as Governor to Luis Fortuño, with 52.70% of the votes.

Detailed information on the results distributed by the State Electoral Commision of Puerto Rico can be consulted.

MEXICO

STATE CONGRESS

On Sunday October 19th the state of Coahuila, north of the country, had elections for 31 local congressmen (20 by majority and 11 by proportional representation).

There was a low turnout, of only 40% of the 1.809,682 million registered citizens that could have cast their vote, at the 3,211 polling stations installed within the 20 electoral districts in which the 38 municipalities are divided.

Browse through the preliminary reults. (in Spanish)

MEXICO

STATE CONGRESS AND MUNICIPALITIES

On Sunday October 5th the state of Guerrero, south of the country, held elections. 2.301,882 million of the 2.268,717 million registered citizens could have cast their vote, although on 1.073,737 did, which means a turnout of 50.16%

At the 4,670 polling stations that were installed through the 81 municipalities comprised in the 28 electoral disctricts of the state, 46 local congressmen (28 by majority and 18 by proportional representation) and 81 authorities.

We provide you with links for more information on the preliminary results as well as news on the electoral process. (in Spanish)

MEXICO

STATE CONGRESS AND MUNICIPALITIES

On Sunday July 6th the state of Nayarit, west of the country, had elections. Through them the citizens were able to choose those who would take office as: 20 mayors, 30 local congressmen (18 by majority and 12 by proportional representation) and 138 Councillors.

1,220 polling stations were installed, that is about 95% of the ones that have been scheduled. As of July 7th 289,410 votes had been counted, and only 8,049 were not valid.

You can browse through the preliminary results, and some relevant news of the electoral process. (in Spanish)

PUERTO RICO

DEMOCRATS' PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES 2008

These elections took place, for the first time in Puerto Rico's history since it became part of the commonwealth, on June 1st.

Since the 2'366,674 registered voters as of May 2nd are not divided by political party, all of them could cast their vote in these primaries to decide who would get the 55 delegates that were stake.

The overall cost for these election was stated to be of $2.5 million dollars, for an expected turnout of 25% at most.

The previous figures were extracted from an article by Manuel Ernesto Rivera of AP in the New York Times.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

On May 16th elections took place for the president and vice-president to be elected, who will take possession on August 16th, 2008.

Leonel Fernández Reyna and Rafael Alburquerque De Castro of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) were reelected as president and vice-president respectively, after obtaining 53.83% of the valid votes that  were cast that Friday. Miguel Vargas Maldonado,  of the Dominican Revolutionary Party, got 40.48% of the votes, leaving 5.59% to the five remaining candidates. The results can be consulted at the Central Electoral Board's website, which is the institution in charge of organising the elections in Dominican Republic.

Have none of the candidates obtained the absolute majority (50% of the vote plus one more vote) a runoff would have taken place on June 30th, since there must be 45 days between the first and second round. In the runoff only the two candidates who had received the highest number of votes the first time around would have participated.

The president is elected by popular vote at the polling stations (Colegios electorales) where the citizens themselves receive those votes, and then count them. It is the citizens who tell the Central Electoral Board who obtained how many votes, so that the list of elected candidates (Relación de Candidatos elegidos) can be published.

You can find news and specific information at the Dominican Republic's page, which we hope will be useful to you. More information can be found at the Spanish version of the same page.

PUERTO RICO

PRIMARIES 2008

These elections took place on March 9th. 'Primaries' is a preliminary election in which the registered voters of a political party nominate candidates for office.

The local Puerto Rican political parties' results for this election can be found here.

Upcoming events

The Organization for American States (OAS), the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), the Latin-American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and Internacional IDEA are organizing the First Inter-American Forum on Elections, to take place on November 17th-21st in Mexico City.

Mexico

Recent events

6th Parliament of the Boys and Girls of Mexico

Mexico

The Upper and Lower Chamber of The Honorable Congress, in coordination with the Ministry of Education (SEP), the Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), the National Comission for Human Rights (CNDH), the National System for the Family's Integral Development (SNDIF) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), organized this forum for children to participate with opinions and proposals, as an example of citizenship. It took place from September 28th through October 4th in Mexico City. For furhter information in Spanish click here.

IX Conferencia de la UNIORE: la observación de elecciones es esencial para la democracia.

El Salvador

La Unión Interamericana de Organismos Electorales (UNIORE) realizó los días 3 y 4 de septiembre su IX Conferencia en la ciudad de San Salvador, El Salvador. La misma fue convocada por el Tribunal Supremo Electoral de El Salvador, en su condición de organismo electoral anfitrión, con la colaboración del Centro de Asesoría y Promoción Electoral (CAPEL) del IIDH, en su condición de Secretaría Ejecutiva de la UNIORE. Contó con la participación de representantes de 22 organismos electorales de las Américas y de El Caribe: Antigua y Barbuda, Argentina, Canadá, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, República Dominicana, Santa Lucía, Uruguay y Venezuela. El IIDH estuvo representado por su Director Ejecutivo, Roberto Cuéllar M., y por el Director de CAPEL, José Thompson, entre otros funcionarios del IIDH.

La inauguración de la IX Conferencia contó con la participación del Presidente de la República, Elías Antonio Saca, quien estuvo acompañado en la mesa principal por el Presidente del Tribunal Supremo Electoral de El Salvador, Walter Araujo y los Magistrados, el Presidente del Tribunal Electoral de Panamá, Erasmo Pinilla, Presidente saliente de UNIORE y el Director Ejecutivo del IIDH.

En esta ocasión el tema central de la conferencia fue Observación electoral y la asistencia técnica internacional. Lecciones aprendidas. Una de las facetas más visibles del intercambio en el seno de UNIORE se ha dado en los terrenos de la observación electoral y de la asistencia técnica internacional, en los cuales hay una significativa experiencia acumulada, que sin embargo no ha sido sistematizada en general y en lo que representa para la vida de la asociación, trayectoria que puede ser también un referente para otros enfoques internacionales que aspiran a hacer más dinámica la relación entre los organismos electorales.

Durante la IX Conferencia se hizo un repaso de los aspectos teóricos y prácticos más relevantes que giran en torno a este tema central. Los diversos enfoques fueron abordados desde la conferencia inaugural, seguida por un panel con tres intervenciones académicas complementarias, para completar un temario a cargo de Eduardo Stein, ex Vicepresidente de Guatemala; Percy Medina, Secretario Ejecutivo de la Asociación Civil Transparencia, Perú, y Gabriel Medrano Valenzuela, ex Magistrado del Tribunal Supremo Electoral y ex Rector de la Universidad Rafael Landívar, Guatemala. Asimismo, hubieron dos actividades especiales a cargo de Linda Maguire del PNUD, México, quien presentó el Proyecto de Administración y Costo de Elecciones de la Red de Conocimientos Electorales, e Isabel Torres, Oficial de Programas del IIDH, quien presentó los resultados de la investigación del IIDH: Evaluación de cuotas y camino hacia la paridad. Una nueva transición democrática.

V Reunión Interamericana de Autoridades Electorales

Ecuador

Giró en torno al tema “El fortalecimiento de la confianza ciudadana en los procesos electorales: la función de las autoridades electorales en el financiamiento político y la participación electoral”. Promovido por la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA) y el Tribunal Supremo Electoral del Ecuador. La reunión se realizó del 22 al 24 de abril en Quito, Ecuador.

• Boletín: Sesión inaugural del “V Encuentro Interamericano de Autoridades Electorales"
• Boletín: Resúmen de ponencias de los diferentes países expositores en la V Reunión Interamericana de Autoridades Electorales
• Agenda de la V Reunión Interamericana de Autoridades Electorales
• "Autoridades electorales reunidas en Ecuador no descartan abordar situación boliviana", teleSURtv.net (2008)