The Electoral Observation Mission of Guatemala ?MOE-Gt?, a group of seven civil society organizations that contributes, from citizen participation, to the integrity of the electoral processes, reported that the opening and start-up of the polling stations it took place mostly in an efficient and peaceful manner.
According to MOE-Gt, 95 percent of the Vote Receiving Boards ?JRV? it opened on time and 96 percent had all essential election materials.
In a preliminary report, he explained that, in the first phase of the general elections, in 99 percent of the JRVs the observers were able to carry out their work without obstacles or impediments during the opening of election day, while 95 percent of the JRV had a security device.
They also specified that the JRVs were made up of more women ?59 percent? than men ?41 percent?. In addition, the presidencies of the JRVs were held equally (51 percent women and 49 percent men).
Similarly, they recorded that 9 percent of the JRVs are made up exclusively of women and 2.5 percent of men, in turn, in 99 percent of the JRVs there is the presence of at least one political party prosecutor.
The MOE-Gt said that, so far, the observers have not registered major incidents of intimidation, harassment, or violence, only isolated cases of obstacles to starting the observation process.
Among these, he said, the acts of violence and threats registered against the members of the boards of San José del Golfo, Guatemala, where the members resigned, stand out.
In view of this, they stated that it is imperative that the authorities make an early decision and inform them effectively about the situation in said region.
Additionally, they urged the security authorities to protect the physical integrity of the boards and citizens, as well as to carry out preventive actions throughout the day to guarantee that at the time of vote counting, similar situations do not occur in other municipalities of high risk, previously identified.
In addition to this, they urged the Supreme Electoral Tribunal ?TSE? and to the electoral bodies to promote openness and transparency in the voting centers and inform the scope of the observation, so that all the accredited electoral observers can carry out their work throughout the electoral day and during the closing and counting of votes.
“We will continue to monitor the elections, updating the media and the public on the findings of our election observation network. We will present a report in the afternoon and tomorrow we will make the general assessment of the elections," they specified.
Finally, the organization recognized and thanked the commitment and enthusiasm of the citizens that make up the JRVs and all the members of its observation group, while calling on the population to go to the voting centers and issue their suffrage.
For the current election day, the MOE-Gt said it had mobilized observers in 1,200 Vote Receiving Boards ?JRV?, a random and representative sample with presence in all departments, 277 municipalities of the country -81 percent? and in 5 cities in the United States.
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