In the Northwest Department, preparations for the upcoming elections are running up against a series of structural obstacles that are compromising the smooth conduct of operations. While the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) has registered, at the national level, three presidential candidates, 68 Senate candidates and 205 candidates for the Chamber of Deputies, the situation on the ground remains worrying in this region.

After nine years of waiting, the financial arrears accumulated by the Northwest Departmental Electoral Office (BED) have finally been settled. This budgetary progress, welcomed by local stakeholders, constitutes a first step toward stabilizing the electoral structures. The BED, which had been vandalized, should moreover become accessible again this week to office staff, according to information gathered on site.