International IDEA and Panama’s Electoral Tribunal discuss upcoming regional initiatives on artificial intelligence and electoral processes

The Presiding Magistrate of the Electoral Tribunal of Panama, Narciso Arellano Moreno, met with Alicia del Águila, International IDEA’s Panama Programme Manager, and Nicolás Liendo, Programme Officer at the Institute’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The main purpose of the meeting was to present details of the Second Regional Seminar on Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Management in Latin America and the Caribbean, which will take place from 28–30 July in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

The discussion also covered several initiatives scheduled for the coming months. In this context, International IDEA expressed its full commitment to supporting the organizers of the Plenary Assembly of the Global Network on Electoral Justice, which will be held in Panama later this year. Senior officials and experts from the organization, including Marcela Ríos Tobar, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, are expected to participate in the event.

The participants also discussed the upcoming Electoral Financing and Organized Crime meeting, scheduled for November in Panama. The event will bring together international experts, including Khushbu Agrawal, Senior Adviser on Political Finance at International IDEA, and will provide a timely platform for dialogue on the issue in the context of the electoral reforms that are expected to be debated by Panama’s National Assembly.

During the meeting, Alicia del Águila underscored the importance of creating spaces for dialogue and knowledge-sharing among experts. She also recalled the proposal put forward by President José Raúl Mulino during the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), which called for stronger democratic cooperation to counter attempts by organized crime to finance political activities and undermine democratic institutions.