Tag Archive for: Democracy

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#DemocraciaVIVA: 2nd edition of Democracy Day

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

On September 15 we celebrate the International Day of Democracy. Democracy is both a process and a goal, and only with the full participation and support of national governing bodies, civil society and individuals can the ideal of democracy become reality to be enjoyed by all, everywhere.

The celebration and commemoration of this day is presented as an opportunity to reflect on the state of democracies in the world. Precisely, international days seek to raise awareness, raise awareness, signal that there is an unresolved problem, an important and pending issue in societies. In this case, the day of democracy seeks to remember how relevant it is to ensure that states establish healthy regimes in which human rights find their place and are fully guaranteed and respected.

The celebration of this date was due to the fact that the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in its resolution A / 62/7 (2007) encouraged governments to strengthen national programs dedicated to promoting and consolidating democracy.

This date was first held in 2008. The date was chosen because it was precisely on 15 September 1997 that the world parliamentary organization “Inter-Parliamentary Union” adopted a Universal Declaration on Democracy which reaffirms its principles and the elements and practices necessary for a democratic government.

The world is currently attending a time when it is necessary to renew votes regarding democratic principles. Movements like the Alliance for Open Government specifically seek to aggiornar democratic principles, ensuring that they guarantee full citizen participation and respect for human rights.

  

  

Contact

Agustina Palencia, agustinapalencia@fundeps.org

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One of lime and one of sand in the case against Porta Hnos.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

On Monday, August 7, we attended the public hearing convened by Federal Court No. 3 by Dr. Hugo Vaca Narvaja in the amparo promoted by neighbors Barrio Ne Antonio and Inaudi against the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Nation And the company Porta Hnos. They had the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Public Prosecutor’s Office representing the interests of children and the State Attorney’s Office.

The amparo involving more than 25 neighbors and residents of San Antonio and other people of the Citizens’ Assembly “NEIGHBORHOODS IN DEFENSE OF A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT – VUDAS” was filed against the Ministry of Energy and Mining of the Nation Of Hydrocarbon Resources) requesting the closure and final closure of the bioethanol plant of Porta Hnos SA They base their claim by stating that the company does not have the legal authorization to prepare biofuel (bioethanol) which should have been granted by the said secretariat and for not having concluded, prior to its entry into operation, the Environmental Impact Assessment process. Subsidiarily, amparists request the cessation of environmental pollution that the activity produces and irreparably affects the environment and the health of neighbors.

It is inexplicable the absence by the State in its different levels of government: national, provincial and municipal, both at the time of urban planning, to ensure compliance with current environmental standards and at the public hearing to listen to the parties and express Your position. But more inexplicable is that it was not the first time. At the end of April of 2015 the local group came to be chained in the headquarters of the Municipality of Cordova to obtain an audience with the intendant Ramón Mestre. They were forced to extreme acts to fulfill their right to be heard and to go to the authorities. Again an absent state.

But not everything has been unfortunate. We had the opportunity to accompany neighbors in this unprecedented audience for Cordoba. Initially, a conciliation hearing was scheduled under the federal law with the characteristic that it was going to be public. The judge then changed the character of the hearing to an information type imitating the proceedings of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in the “Mendoza” case on environmental pollution of the Matanza – Riachuelo River. Having even arranged a mechanism for the participation of third persons, from FUNDEPS we register to take the floor. Finally, between roosters and midnight the judge again changed the character of the hearing to a conciliation so we could only participate as a public.

We emphasize the need to guarantee the right to information, participation and dialogue between the parties involved with the authorities with competence in urban planning, environmental territorial management, control of anthropic activities, setting and control of standards and norms. We also emphasize the importance of taking into account the hazards of this type of industry in light of the precautionary principle and prevention that governs environmental matters (article 4 LGA), because it is located in a residential neighborhood.

At the hearing, where the judge had broad powers to direct it, neighbors had the opportunity to tell the before and after that involved the installation and expansion of the company Porta Hnos and the consequences it brought in its health and quality of life. Then the lawyers, the Public Ministry of Defense and the Prosecutor’s Office were given the floor for fifteen minutes. We consider this instance to be very valuable as it strengthens transparency, citizen participation and public dissemination of this socio-environmental conflict antecedent to Cordoba as the possibility given by the Court to the neighbors.

We believe that it is important to emphasize in these cases the role of the judges in order to guarantee the fundamental rights of present generations and future generations. This is an ideal case to carry out a model of dialogic justice, to seek a structural solution to the conflict, through. The court has the opportunity to establish clear judicial guidelines that address the protection of fundamental rights, such as the human right to a healthy environment, to the health and life of the neighbors of Barrio San Antonio and Inaudi. We trust that this instance allows the claim of neighbors to be effectively heard and that the State, at its different levels, recognize, investigate and solve a complex socio-environmental situation.

Author
Victoria Gerbaldo, <victoriagerbaldo@fundeps.org>
Contact
Juan Carballo, <juanmcarballo@fundeps.org>
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Religious freedom should not be anti-rights

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

We note with concern the urgency and selectivity with which we are dealing with the problematic bill submitted by the National Executive Branch on June 12 under number 0010/PE/2017. This project, aiming to regulate religious freedom, incorporates the questionable figure of the institutional conscientious objection and generates mechanisms of institutional violence and violation of human rights.

This proposal not only jeopardizes the legitimacy of the legal system by proposing as a rule the possibility of excepting compliance with the law, but also seriously compromises the international obligations assumed by the Argentine State. This is so insofar as there is a great potential to obstruct the fulfillment and guarantee of many human rights, such as health, identity, non-discrimination and life free of violence, as well as to affect vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents , And people with disabilities.

Although the draft mentions several human rights treaties, it is widely misunderstood in their interpretation, in view of the many jurisprudential precedents given by our country’s courts in this area, as well as the recommendations of the corresponding human rights committees. In this way, it aims to erect as a guarantor standard, but in its drafting institutes mechanisms that preclude access to basic rights that must be guaranteed by the State.

Institutional conscientious objection, in practice, makes it possible to carry out generalized discriminatory acts against certain groups, historically relegated. Imagine a person who is in a position to request surgical intervention for genital reassignment, before institutions that by religious belief may violate their right to identity and psychophysical health in an institutionalized way.

The presumption of good faith granted by the project to the person exercising the conscientious objection reverses the burden of proof to the detriment of citizenship, making each person to judge each case, since the final interpretation of the constitutionality corresponds to the Power Judicial. This would generate serious mechanisms of institutional violence, and our State has acquired international commitments for the purpose of eradicating such violence. Let us not forget: in what democratic state can a person evade compliance with the law because his faith dictates it?

It also legitimizes the risk of children and adolescents, as well as persons with disabilities, when it enables its representatives to exercise conscientious objection on their behalf. This could lead to denial of certain medical treatments by representation, which has been widely rejected by our courts.

Likewise, in order to safeguard the rights of non-Catholic religious communities, churches and other denominations, it does not regressively recognize sexual and non-reproductive rights and international standards in this regard. In this regard, it should be recalled that conscientious objection is not recognized as a human right, and that the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (General Comment No. 22 March 2016) stated that, should States regulate it , This must be done in a way that does not impact on access to sexual and reproductive health. This recommendation is not observed in the project, much less in the hermetic treatment that is being given.

On the other hand, and what is not less, it is possible to rescue that by definition legal persons and / or entities do not possess the consciousness or subjectivity that seeks to protect the notion of conscientious objection. What religion or belief can a legal entity claim?

A rule that seeks to incorporate, in a generalized, discretionary and presumptive manner, the exception to the fulfillment of legal obligations, seriously compromises legal certainty, the bases of our rule of law, and the exercise and guarantee of human rights. Religious freedom is already guaranteed by our National Constitution, and by human rights treaties with constitutional hierarchy. This bill only undermines its exercise, and in turn implies an express and serious acceptance that not all of us have the same duty of obedience before the law.

The pronouncement of the organizations

We adhere to the rejection letter to Bill 0010 / PE / 2017, prepared by the Abogadxs National Alliance for Women’s Human Rights, which is joined by more than 100 recognized organizations and institutions from all over the country, and more than 400 experts and law specialists.

This letter will be presented to the Commissions for Foreign Affairs and Worship, Penal Legislation and Budget and Finance, of the Chamber of Deputies of the National Congress, in order to make known the institutional gravity that matters the consideration of this project, and the concern for its Selective treatment.

Author

María Julieta Cena

More information

Virginia Pedraza – vir.pedraza@fundeps.org

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Female quotas YES are required

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

 

The recent resolution officially ruled by the federal judge with electoral competence in Santa Fe, Reinaldo Rubén Rodríguez, who is challenging the list of 15 national deputy candidates, presented by the Ciudad Futura political space, is in debate. The magistrate ordered that Law 24,012 guaranteed equality of opportunity and treatment for women, which also has to be guaranteed for men. This statement generates an immediate question: What is the lack of access opportunities that men have in political spaces, in relation to women?

Unfortunately, in the wake of the interpretation of our Constitution, and in particular Art. 37, the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) continue to be ignored. English), which enjoys a constitutional hierarchy and must be mandatory as a current and complementary norm of our Charter.

Article 4 (1) of the CEDAW states: “The adoption by States Parties of temporary special measures to accelerate de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination in the manner defined in the Convention. This Convention shall not, however, entail, as a consequence, the maintenance of unequal or separate standards; These measures shall cease when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved”.

Female quota laws are nothing more than these “special temporary measures” established in this body of legislation, which must cease when the objectives of equality of opportunity and treatment have been achieved. From there comes the question: Have we already achieved such equality between men and women?

Recently, after the ruling in Santa Fe, some newspaper articles have branded Law No. 24,012 as “discriminatory for men.” But, although women are more than half the population, how is it possible that in no space for decision-making in our country we have reached 50% representation?

Gender inequality is manifest in all spaces, and the political is clearly included. Even more so when speeches that de-legitimize quota laws are tirelessly reproduced. Mandatory female representation by quota is the first step to ensure equal opportunities. Political parties must find female representatives, with sufficient qualifications and qualifications to fill these representative positions, so that they truly speak for women who are part of such spaces.

It is not the quota laws that compel the parties to make the candidates the “wives of” or “figures of the spectacle or sport without vocation for politics and fictional candidates or testimonials who “smiles smiling”, as some notes Journalism. It is the machista mechanisms themselves that do not recognize women with sufficient autonomy and merit, as apt to occupy such positions of fundamental democratic importance.
It remains difficult to understand the debate around quota laws, when no alternative proposals have been heard or read that guarantee real spaces for women, who have historically been relegated to the private, far from politics. Let us not forget that it was only 69 years ago that women have acceded to the right to vote, and that Law 24,012 was enacted only in 1991.

Before the validity of the Act on Women, the women representatives of their parties in Congress did not exceed 6% of the total number of seats. After its promulgation, in 2005, the female participation reached 36% in the Chamber of Deputies and 42% in the Senate. At present, women occupy 41.7% in the Senate and 38.5% in Deputies.

The quota laws are necessary, and society and the Argentine political community remain indebted to democracy, because parity is not yet real. Let us not go back, and move forward to make room for equal opportunities and treatment between women and men.

Antes de la vigencia de la Ley de Cupo Femenino, las mujeres representantes de sus partidos en el Congreso no superaban el 6% del total de las bancas. Luego de su promulgación, en el año 2005, la participación femenina alcanzó el 36% en la Cámara de Diputados y el 42% en el Senado. En la actualidad, las mujeres ocupan el 41,7% en la Cámara de Senadores y el 38,5% en Diputados.

The quota laws are necessary, and society and the Argentine political community remain indebted to democracy, because parity is not yet real. Let us not go back, and move forward to make room for equal opportunities and treatment between women and men.

Sources

– Journalists and women politicians, a boom in list building. Editorial. Diario Clarin. Buenos Aires, 25/06/2017.

– Female quotas are not necessary. Editorial. Diario La Nacion. Buenos Aires, 09/07/2017.

– Gabriel Sued. Women unite in Congress for an increase in the female quota. Diario La Nación, Buenos Aires, 16/08/2016.

– Marcela Ríos Tobar. Woman and politics. The impact of gender quotas in Latin America. Catalonia. Santiago, Chile, 2008.

More information

Virginia Pedraza – vir.pedraza@fundeps.org

Participation in the public hearing for the expansion of the Bajo Grande sewage plant

On Wednesday, December 7, the government of the province of Córdoba called a public hearing to announce the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) corresponding to the expansion of the current Sewage Treatment Plant (WWTP) And the construction of new main collectors. The participation of FUNDEPS included the presentation of a technical-legal report that marked certain inconsistencies identified when analyzing the EIA and knowing the antecedents of strong impacts in the zone.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

With only three people registered, on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, a public hearing was held, convened by the Secretariat of the Environment and Climate Change of the province of Córdoba, whose purpose was to publicize the Environmental Impact Study (EIA) On the expansion of the Sewage Treatment Plant in the city of Córdoba. It should be noted that this process had little diffusion and was carried out very far from the area of ​​influence more significant and more affected by the project (Barrio Chacras de la Merced). This fact violates the provisions of Art. 63 of Provincial Law 10.208 of Environmental Policy which establishes that these instances of participation must be carried out in the area most closely linked to the public decision in question.

The Bajo Grande Wastewater Treatment Plant (EDAR) plant was built at the end of the 1960s, on the banks of the Suquía River, and is located in the 2 ½ km of the road called Chacras de la Merced, at the eastern end of the City of Córdoba. It was inaugurated in 1987, being under the control and control of the Municipality of Cordoba in the year 1990. From the end of the nineties, the operation of the plant of Low Good EDAR was deteriorating, obtaining that today, the It has a limited capacity in the treatment of sewage, which generates a constant focus of contamination.

The problem of contamination of this plant is public knowledge by the presentation of complaints, lawsuits, news reports and even formal acknowledgments by officials of the province and the municipality of Cordoba. At a technical level, expert reports by the National University of Cordoba have determined that the treatment of cloacal liquids of Bajo Grande has important faults, both in the processing and in the operation of the equipment that it owns. This results in high contamination rates of the Suquía river, which directly receives the effluents generated by these deficiencies in the treatment. For some time, together with the organization Las Omas, we have been claiming for public information on health and environmental indicators that allow us to assess (and correct) this pollution situation.

From the above it is understood the need to invest in the current plant and to make the situation capable of being reversed. However, following the reading and presentation of the EIA, certain inconsistencies arise that, if not taken into account, far from improving the current situation of the plant, could aggravate the existing negative environmental impacts.

  • In our brief presented during the hearing we emphasize some points:
  • Inconsistencies regarding the treatment capacity of the plant.
  • Inadequate treatment of environmental risks, in an area that has historically suffered the consequences of river pollution.
  • Failure to strengthen control bodies in the city to facilitate the work of the Bajo Grande WWTP plant.
  • Absence of plan for monitoring the work and mitigation of impacts.

Also during the hearing could be heard phrases such as: “… close to the sewage plant there are no stable populations,” calling into question the real commitment of government authorities to the residents of Chacras de la Merced and the problems In which they are immersed as a result of the malfunction of the plant.

From FUNDEPS, we consider that a thorough evaluation by the Ministry of the Environment as a comptroller of the present project is crucial, noting all the considerations set out during the hearing. Likewise, the necessary mechanisms must be available to comply with the expected legal and environmental parameters in order to protect the fundamental rights of the inhabitants of the city of Cordoba and in particular those of the district of Chacras de las Merced.

More information

Contact

Agustina Palencia, agustinapalencia@fundeps.org

Co-creating policies: Provincial Government Board Opened in Córdoba

During the past Wednesday, April 12 and 19, the Open Government Office of the Province of Cordoba summoned civil society organizations at a dialogue table. This, in the framework of the elaboration of the provincial goal that will be part of the National Plan of Action of Argentina before OGP during the years 2017 to 2019.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic.”

Within the framework of the Open Government Alliance (OGP), Argentina will have to submit a new National Action Plan in July 2017, which will contemplate new commitments regarding transparency, accountability and citizen participation.

The Open Government Alliance was launched in 2011 to provide an international platform for domestic reformers committed to making their governments accountable, more open and improving their responsiveness to their citizens. Since then, OGP has moved from 8 participating countries to the 64 countries indicated on the map below. In all these countries, government and civil society work together to develop and implement ambitious reforms around open government.

The concept of “open government” is based on 3 fundamental pillars: transparency, participation and collaboration. It implies a new paradigm, under which decision-makers put citizens at the center of public policy and include them in their design, understanding that greater citizen participation in the formulation of public policies contributes to a more open government and that Accountable to citizens.

The last plan of action presented by our country was in 2015, and included commitments assumed both by the administration of Cristina Fernandez and by the current management of Mauricio Macri. For this 2017, from the Ministry of Modernization of the Nation, it was decided to incorporate a section in the plan that is made up of subnational commitments.

In this regard, the provinces are invited to add a goal to this new plan. During the end of 2016, federal meetings were organized by the federal executive, explaining the methodology for the elaboration of commitments. In this sense and according to the process explained, the goals had to be co-created with civil society.

The relevance of the Open Government as a new cultural paradigm in the sphere of state management lies in the possibility of incorporating the citizenry in the decision-making processes of the government. A more transparent and accountable administration of society translates into stronger and more legitimate institutions.

The past Wednesday, April 12 and 19, from the Secretariat of the Governorate of the Province of Cordoba, civil society organizations were summoned to participate in two dialogue panels. During both meetings we worked on the creation of the commitment that the Province of Cordoba will assume in the National Action Plan of Argentina before OGP 2017-2019.

Among the organizations that participated in these tables are the AGA Association, the Nuestra Córdoba Citizen Network, the Córdoba Environmental Forum, FUNDEPS, the Federal Government Institute, Open Data Córdoba, among others. The debate was essentially about the need to achieve the institutionalization of the paradigm of Open Government within the government of the Province of Cordoba. Also discussed was the possibility of creating an Open Government Portal belonging to the province.

From FUNDEPS we consider this one, as an important step in the progress toward the establishment of Open Government policies in the province. The institutionalization of spaces with these characteristics would achieve, in the future, greater and better mechanisms of citizen participation. Consequently, the levels of accountability and transparency of government management in Córdoba would increase.

More information

We participated in the Open Government Partnership Summit in Paris

Climate Change and Open Government at the Global TAI Meeting

Participation in the Regional Meeting of Subnational Entities by the Open Government

Contact

Agustina Palencia – agustinapalencia@fundeps.org

Activity Report 2016

The past 2016 was a year of great growth for our foundation, not only for the development of our many agendas of work, but also for the consolidation of our team of volunteers.

We further diversified our work agendas, we were able to increase our social impact, we were able to position ourselves in networks and we increased the collaboration with new partners.

As we did year after year, we continue to conduct research, workshops and events; We participate in national and international meetings with multiple organizations; We carry out activities of monitoring, advocacy and judicial cases to advance in matters of public policies.

We thank all those who participated and trusted in FUNDEPS. We hope that in 2017 we will continue to find and work together in pursuit of our main objective: to continue to grow and influence public policies.

We invite you to read the result of a great year of work, by clicking on our 2016 report at the following link bit.ly/FUNDEPS2016; Or on our website in the “About Fundeps” section.

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Studies show environmental degradation and government neglect in Chacras de la Merced

During the month of December 2016, the Foundation for the Development of Sustainable Policies decided to carry out a survey process in the neighborhood of Chacras de la Merced, in order to obtain accurate information about the state of situation of the community there.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic”

Since 2015, FUNDEPS has been working with the recently mentioned neighborhood of the City of Cordoba, in relation to the problems of the sewage treatment plant (WWTP). The proven malfunction of the plant, located in the area since 1984, has caused numerous problems in the nearby population, as well as in the ecosystem there.

The purpose of this survey process was to be able to discover the perception of the neighbors of the neighborhood with respect to the plant, as well as of other problems that they could identify as an emergency. The instrument used was intended to compile the perception of the community of Chacras de la Merced about the operation of the sewage treatment plant, the environmental situation of the area, the performance of the government authorities towards the neighborhood and its interest Engage in control activities.

In this sense, within the results obtained, below are presented those of greater relevance.

An 83% (44 families) does not feel calm with the environmental situation of the district Chacras de la Merced.

Five issues were mentioned and respondents were asked to prioritize among themselves, establishing from 1 to 5 the urgency with which they believed they should be addressed by government authorities. Of the total families surveyed, 34 (64%) of them gave the number 1 priority and urgency to the pollution caused by the sewage treatment plant.

The respondents were then asked whether or not they knew the work that EDAR does, and 58.8% said they did not know with certainty the work and operation of the WWTP. 50.9% said he was very badly informed about the issues that relate to the operation of the plant. Consistent with this, 79.2% of neighbors said they do not trust the information provided by the municipality of Cordoba on the operation of the plant.

Notwithstanding the lack of knowledge, 86% consider that the plant is not functioning properly; And opined in reference to the factor considered to cause malfunction. 37.2% of the respondents said that the plant does not work properly due to lack of municipal controls that verify the correct functioning. Likewise, 46.5% consider that the malfunction of the plant causes the immediate contamination of the river.

He wondered about the confidence that respondents had in certain institutions and organizations. Entrepreneurs, the provincial government, the municipal government, the police, the legislature, the judiciary, political parties, trade unions and the national government receive nothing from the neighbors of Chacras de la Merced. Private and public universities; Environmental organizations, social organizations, religious institutions, and the media are receptive to the trust of neighbors. The neighbors opined, undoubtedly with 77% (41 families), who do not trust EDAR.

It is important to note that 76.9% of the neighbors do not have / had information about the bidding process carried out by the province for the expansion of the sewage treatment plant. Likewise, with regard to the opinion about the expansion of the plant, it is surprising that despite the declared distrust of the authorities and the information they provide; 58.5% of the residents are confident that the work will improve the quality of life of the community.

88.7% of the respondents believe that they should (people from the neighborhood with civil society organizations) participate in monitoring spaces to the actions of the state in the area of ​​environmental control. It was also consulted about the inclination towards participation in monitoring spaces of the actions of the municipality and the province in the process of construction of the new plant. 56.6% expressed that they would be willing to participate in these spaces if they arose.

The survey also aimed to know about the health history of the neighbors, consulting about symptoms and diseases they have had, their frequency, the diagnosis provided and the treatment indicated. In this regard, 69% said they had suffered from one of the listed symptoms.

The results of the survey process show that the community of Chacras de la Merced is in a serious situation of vulnerability due to the confluence of numerous factors that lead to the violation of their most basic rights. Álida Weht, director of the Las Omas grassroots organization whose objective is to improve the quality of life of the neighbors, has stated that: “the results constitute the visibility of a pollution situation that dates back several decades and a community Which has been immersed in an immediacy of problems for the same time.

In the context of the recent events related to the overturning of the Suquía River, both from company waste and from raw sewage, it is necessary to highlight the emergency in which the Chacras de la Merced neighborhood is located.

Full survey report

More information

Contact

Agustina Palencia – agustinapalencia@fundeps.org

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The province of Cordoba in decline: implementation of electronic voting

On December 21, a draft law presented by the executive seeking the implementation of electronic voting was approved in the legislature of Córdoba. It is important to point out the dangers of such a system for our democracy.

“Below, we offer a google translate version of the original article in Spanish. This translation may not be accurate but serves as a general presentation of the article. For more accurate information, please switch to the Spanish version of the website. In addition, feel free to directly contact in English the person mentioned at the bottom of this article with regards to this topic.”

On December 21, the Cordovan legislature approved a controversial bill that calls for reform of the provincial voting system. Although at the national level this initiative seems to be ruled out, the provincial executive presented a project that was approved without difficulties.

Much has been debated in recent weeks, and we believe it is very important to join the voices that express the dangers of an electronic voting system in. At present, this system is in decline worldwide due to the shortcomings that it implies in the matter of control. The voting process is too central to our way of life to rely on uncontrollable mechanisms.

The approved project does not specify technical issues about the system beyond the implementation of the single electronic ballot; And recognizes the limitations of this system by prohibiting the use of electronic devices within a radius of 300 meters to control. In addition, computer experts have repeatedly expressed the dangers and shortcomings of electronic voting: no one can know for sure what the computer does, it is insecure, it does not guarantee the secrecy of the vote, it is more expensive, it erodes confidence in the Electoral system, limits the right to control elections and limits the capacity to be fiscal (not any citizen can do it).

It is noteworthy that in the province we already have a single paper ticket system that has been recognized as one of the best alternatives for the electoral system; In addition, it is used in the world, in countries like South Korea, Japan, Germany, Australia and Holland among many others. This system avoids the theft of ballots and is transparent to the elector. The change to an electronic system then implies a clear setback.

In this context, there is concern about the speed and lack of discussion in the treatment of a subject of key importance, as well as the lack of answers to the technical and legal objections that have been presented to this proposal.

More information

Contact

Agustina Palencia, agustinapalencia@fundeps.org

New 2015 Annual Report

We are pleased to introduce our 2015 Annual Report, a brief summary of our activities and achievements of the past year.

During 2015, FUNDEPS has grown both internally and externally. Our volunteers have been doubled and our activities have been diversified. We hopefully expect this year, in order to keep growing up and developing politic incidence.

To access to the Report click here: informe2015.fundeps.org, or you can find it on our website in the “About Fundeps” Section.