By Community Press in collaboration with Peninsula 360 Press and Global Exchange.
The citizens of that municipality have not been able to exercise their vote, after 130 members of the Vote Receiving Board resigned from their posts.
Voting in the municipality of San José del Golfo was suspended after a series of incidents occurred on Saturday night. The Departmental Electoral Board (JED) of Guatemala said that a group of people forced them to get off the buses in which they were traveling to a training session.
After they got off the buses, the members in charge of delivering and receiving the ballots were doused with gasoline and threatened with being set on fire.
The events have already been reported to the National Civil Police (PNC). However, due to the lack of Voting Reception Boards (JRV), the four voting centers installed in that municipality did not open their doors so that citizens could elect their authorities.
The Departmental Electoral Board of Guatemala and the Municipal Electoral Board (JEM) of San José del Golfo indicated that they are “working with all legal and security mechanisms at their disposal to continue with a legitimate, orderly and efficient process.”
They also reported that, with the support of the PNC, they coordinated the transfer of electoral supplies to the Nito Palencia Basic Education Institute, so that it can operate as a voting center in that town.
They try to dialogue
However, upon arriving at the site, a group of residents blocked the entrance to the premises. According to the electoral authorities, they are holding talks with the protesters so that the registered voters of the municipality can cast their vote "safely."
In fact, outside the aforementioned educational center, riot police fired tear gas bombs at the protesters. Members of the Guatemalan Army even showed up at the scene.
Police have already arrested at least one person for the incidents. Separately, residents of San José del Golfo reported that people who are not from the municipality arrived in the town and said they were "carried away."
Read the note in its original version by giving Click here.
You may be interested in: General elections begin in Guatemala
