Brasília - The election coordenator of the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy at the Organization of American States (OAS), Santiago Murray, says that the Brazilian electronic voting system (called "urnas eletrônicas" in Portuguese) will be used in more Latin American nations.

"We are working with the Brazilian Election Commission (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) (TSE) on the details. The system will be used in other countries because it is transparent and reliable. We were able to confirm that in the last Brazilian election," declared Murray, praising yesterday's elections in Brazil and calling them well-organized. "The long process to reach a well-run election was both political and social. It was a rich experience."

Yesterday's municipal elections in Brazil were the largest ever run using an electronic voting system anywhere in the world. A total of almost 360,000 electronic voting machines were used (another 45,000 were available for backup). The election was observed by 25 international representatives who were invited by the TSE.

The Brazilian electronic voting system already has an international track record. It has been used in Argentina, Mexico and Paraguay. And on October 17, will be used in Ecuador.

Agência Brasil
Reporter:Daniel Dutra
Translator: Allen Bennett
10/04/2004