Observers Predict
Trouble during
Guatemalan Elections
The civil organization
Mirador Electoral warned
in a communiqué
published on Friday that
trouble might affect the
smooth development and
transparency of
elections in Guatemala
in September.
According to the press
release, the new
regulations establish
the opening of 15,000
polling stations, twice
as many as in the
previous elections, so
at least 70,000
volunteers would be
needed to speed up the
process and count the
votes.
The shortage of trained
personnel has led to
improvisations, thus
having negative effects
on the quality of the
election process.
Mistakes in the results
might cause alterations
in the final vote count,
thus generating
lawsuits, unrest and
even violence, as it
happened in 2003, when
riots broke out in
several municipalities,
Mirador Electoral noted.
The organization
criticized the Supreme
Election Court (TSE) for
not allowing the
observers to have access
to the election register
to supervise the work.
The TSE must take all
pertinent measures to
guarantee the normal
development of the
elections, secure
transfer of information
and transparent results,
Mirador Electoral
pointed out in its
communiqué. |
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