August 22, 2023
With only a few hours remaining before the start of election day, the Electoral Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) expresses its concern regarding the announcement made yesterday by the Special Prosecutor against Impunity (FECI) of the Public Ministry (MP) of a series of actions that persist in judicializing the electoral process in Guatemala.
Likewise, the OAS/EOM today received public information about the summons issued to the director of information technology at the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to make a testimonial statement before the FECI.
The aforementioned actions and announcements concern the OAS/EOM given the need to build confidence in the Guatemalan citizenry so that they turn out en masse at the polls and to guarantee public peace.
In addition, the OAS/EOM reiterates that these actions interfere with the natural course of the electoral process, to the detriment of an entire nation that wishes to freely express itself at the polls. The Mission calls on all of Guatemalan society and State bodies to promote stability and tranquility in view of Sunday’s elections.
As OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro referred to in the presentation to the Organization’s Permanent Council of his report on his visit to Guatemala from August 1 to 4, 2023, this judicialization harms the normal development of the electoral process and must be avoided, so that it is the citizenry that defines the future of the country.