Guatemala City -AGN- The Government of Guatemala reaffirmed its commitment to providing security for the second electoral round during a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States -OAS-. The OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro also presented the report for his recent visit to Guatemala.
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Guatemala, Mario Búcaro, attended this session. In his speech before the Permanent Council, he highlighted that the President Alejandro Giammattei offered the support of the security forces to both candidates participating in the second round of elections.
Minister Búcaro informed that the electoral authorities were also offered full support and the assistance of the public security forces and the Ministries of the Interior and Defense. He underscored the availability of the Ministry of Education facilities which will serve as voting centers. These efforts aim to ensure a smooth, safe, and peaceful second round of elections.
Finally, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, “Guatemala reinstates its full commitment to democracy by urging all Guatemalans to vote in the second round of elections, following the law, to have a true patriotic civic celebration for all.”
Second Run-off
After the first round of elections, which took place on June 25, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal established that two candidates for the Presidency and Vice-Presidency would participate in a second round of elections. The second round of election is scheduled for Sunday, August 20.
Security Support
Regarding security matters, on August 7, the Ministry of the Interior -Mingob-, the Ministry of National Defense -Mindef- and other institutions that comprise the interinstitutional electoral security round table met to guarantee security during the second round of elections.
During the meeting, authorities established security strategies for Guatemalans to exercise their right to vote. In addition, another goal is to prevent disturbances before, during, and after this civic celebration.
The Minister of the Interior indicated that over 40,000 police officers would provide security to citizens for this civic activity.
Infrastructure
The Ministry of Education -Mineduc- will provide the Supreme Electoral Tribunal with 2,570 schools for the second round of elections. Additionally, these education centers were previously supervised to ensure they have the necessary resources to serve the people.
There are 9.3 million Guatemalans eligible to vote.
