The social benefit programs that had the highest number of reported incidents of coercion also also had the highest percentages of women enrolled, indicating that women were disproportionately impacted by coercion.
An area of concern prioritized in the observation was coercion of voters through social benefit programs. Of the incidents of coercion reported, the programs “Bono Seguro” and “Bolsa Segura” were the most likely to be targeted.
An area of concern prioritized in the observation was coercion of voters through social benefit programs. Of the incidents of coercion reported, the programs “Bono Seguro” and “Bolsa Segura” were the most likely to be targeted.
Overall, most reported incidents of violence were economic (36%), threats and coercion (30%) or psychological (28%).
80% of the voters interviewed by PACE observers reported that voters felt free to cast a vote for the candidate or party they preferred, but women were less likely to say that voters felt free to do so, and more likely to report that they were unsure.
Similarly, voters interviewed as part of PACE’s observation reported that they felt free to attend campaign events, though women were less likely to indicate that voters felt free to do so, and more likely to report that they were unsure.
In the interviews conducted by volunteers, candidates overwhelmingly reported that they did not face problems campaigning. However, women were slightly less likely than men to report that they had no problems.
In monitoring the voter registration process, PACE observers recorded almost no incidents of violence: 98% of the reports submitted by observers, for example reported no incidents of intimidation.
As with economic violence, reported incidents of violence showed that women were targeted by psychological violence as part of mixed-gender groups.
Very few incidents of psychological violence occurred -- but where they did, women were more likely to be perpetrators, with little difference in who was targeted.
