"The phenomenon of clientelism and vote buying has spread throughout the country," said members of the Electoral Observatory, as part of a first report on the first round of the general elections in Guatemala, which will take place on June 25.
According to Mirador Electoral, in collaboration with the Prensa Comunitaria media network, elections are being held with no controls and no sanctions from electoral authorities, which creates an "environment of impunity, which is exploited by political parties."
As of 1:00 p.m. on Election Day, Mirador Electoral reported in a press conference that there were records of incidents in at least 12 municipalities located in 8 departments of Guatemala, in addition to "dozens of complaints," many of them filed with the public prosecutor's office and the Electoral Crimes Prosecutor's Office, an authority that had reported 117 complaints up to that point.
The main complaints, said Mirador Lectoral, are related to voter transport, a practice that is carried out most frequently in municipalities, where some candidates use "large amounts of money" to mobilize people from other localities.
The most serious case recorded by Mirador Electoral occurred in the municipality of San José del Golfo, in the department of Guatemala, where voting has not been carried out until 10:00 a.m. due to the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants of this town with the massive transport of people from other municipalities, presumably paid for this purpose.
Prensa Comunitaria and RUDA, in collaboration with Península 360 Press and Global Exchange, will continue to provide national and international coverage from Guatemala, as part of an effort by more than 15 community media outlets from Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador and Honduras.
The team has also been deployed to 13 departments and 4 municipalities. An effort of more than 100 people who on this election day are carrying the data that comes out of this electoral day in its first round.
This note was produced in collaboration with the Organization Global Exchange and Community Press.
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