IOM will act as the international observer for the out-of-country
voting (OCV) process taking place this weekend on the Referendum to
ratify Ecuador's new political Constitution.

IOM will observe as Ecuadorian migrants living in Milan, Italy;
Madrid, Murcia and Barcelona, Spain; the states of New Jersey and
New York in the United States, and the Chilean and Venezuelan
capital cities, Santiago and Caracas respectively, cast their votes
on Sunday 28 September on a referendum to ratify a new
constitution.

IOM also developed the forms and specific documentation to be
used by all observers and will be present in Quito for the official
counting of votes by the Ecuadorian diaspora.

It is estimated that more than two million Ecuadorians are
living abroad.  Approximately 152,000 are registered to vote
in the upcoming elections. 

"IOM's objective is to support Ecuador's established
out-of-country voting process by acting as an impartial observer to
ensure the political rights of Ecuadorians abroad.  This is
the third electoral process in which Ecuadorian migrants will be
allowed to participate and IOM has acted as the official
international observer in all of these processes," explains
Alejandro Guidi, IOM Chief of Mission in Quito.

The presidential elections carried out in the autumn of 2006
(the first round in October and the runoff in November) represented
the first out-of-country voting process for Ecuadorians
abroad.  On 30 September 2007, Ecuadorians elected the 130
members of the Constituent Assembly, the body elected to draft the
Constitution that will be voted on this Sunday.

IOM is acting as international observer following a request from
Ecuador's Permanent Mission to the United Nations and other
International Organizations in Geneva.

For further information please contact:

Ana María Guzmán

IOM Quito

Tel: +593.2.22.53.948/49

E-mail: "mailto:aguzman@iom.int">aguzman@iom.int