Since 7:00 a.m. Central Guatemala time, the general elections in Guatemala began, in which thousands of citizens with the right to vote have met at one of the 3,482 voting centers in the 340 municipalities of the country, because today is the key day in which, among other positions, they will elect their next president and vice president, who will govern for the next 6 years.
From the Don Bosco School in the capital city of the Central American country, the president of the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Irma Elizabeth Palencia Orellana, and the president of the Electoral Board of the Central District, José Francisco Murúa, together with other electoral officials and foreign observers, kicked off the electoral day on June 25.
In his speech, Palencia Orelllana called on Guatemalans to go to the polls, and then cut the symbolic ribbon that inaugurated the elections.
«The day has arrived. We have been planning this day for a long time and we have been working exhausting days so that you can come today with complete peace of mind from 7 in the morning when the voting centers are open. Come, citizens, you only have to bring your DPI - Personal Identification Document - and be registered, it does not matter if the DPI is expired or damaged. You can go and vote,» said the presiding judge.
Palencia Orellana stressed that going to the polls as a family is the best way to vote, as children will also be able to vote today in centres specially designed for them, in companies that sponsor the Children's Elections. In the evening, the presiding magistrate will be accompanied by some children to announce the results of these elections.
"Citizens, let us go out and vote. The date is for Guatemala to be the big winner and for us to define together the present and the future of the country. Democracy awaits us," he concluded.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced earlier that it had reached an agreement with transport companies that cover routes in several municipalities in the department of Guatemala, to provide free transportation to citizens who will travel to the voting centers until they close.
The service is a civic contribution made by the transporters of Contrauvin RL and the Gremial of extra-urban and urban transport of Guatemala, which provide service in Villa Nueva and Villa Canales, as well as transporters who cover routes in San Pedro Ayampuc, Chuarrancho and Palencia.
The service will be provided from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. There are more than 150 units that will cover both traditional routes and areas close to the voting centers. The units will be recognized by the identification they will carry with the election logo and the legend of free transportation.
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