Guatemala city.- At least three of the 340 municipalities that make up Guatemala have suffered problems and incidents in their electoral process this Sunday, according to various sources, while the polls remain open until late afternoon.
The authorities have confirmed the suspension of the elections in the San José del Golfo municipality, in the department (province) of Guatemala (center), due to the resignation of the officials in charge of the elections due to threats against them.
This caused the anti-riot forces to arrive at the place and disperse several people from the voting centers, with no injuries being reported for the moment.
“The current mayor is bringing voters and we have doubts about the legality of the process, so an election cannot be held,” Ana Gudiel, prosecutor of the National Unity of Hope party, told EFE.
The dissatisfied residents ask the electoral authorities of Guatemala to repeat the election on a new date.
BURNING BALLOTS
Similarly, in the municipality of San Martín Zapotitlán, in the department of Retalhuleu (southeast), various ballot papers were burned by people upset over the alleged transfer of false voters from another town.
The incidents in San Martín Zapotitlán were also responded to by the anti-riot forces of the Guatemalan National Civil Police (PNC), with one person injured by tear gas.
For their part, in the municipality of Ixchán, in the department of Quiché (north), prosecutors from the Public Ministry seized alleged false ballots marked in favor of the official party, Vamos, of the current president, Alejandro Giammattei.
The initial flag for the elections took place this Sunday at 7:00 a.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT), in accordance with the regulations of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), and will last until 6:00 p.m. local time (00:00 GMT on Monday).
There are 9.3 million people authorized by the TSE to cast their vote in the eleventh edition of the elections since the implantation of democracy in 1986.
The experts, however, do not rule out a high percentage of abstentionism from the vote by the registered population, due to apathy for the political class.
