This Friday, March 1, the 22 files from the Departmental Development Councils (Codede) for the election of departmental governors were submitted to the General Secretariat of the Presidency, hours before the deadline for receipt expired. On the other hand, social organizations presented challenges once morest 11 of the proposals.
Jalapa, Izabal, Escuintla and Zacapa were the departments that delivered their documentation last.
According to the General Secretariat of the Presidency, the analysis of the profiles that were sent will begin this Friday followingnoon and the shortlists that do not meet the requirements will be returned. The Codedes will have five days to send or complete the list.
In addition, it was reported that some departments did not send the list of substitute candidates, which also had to be delivered this Friday.
Challenge
Ancestral authorities, representatives of indigenous peoples and women’s organizations contested this Friday 11 shortlists for governors of Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Sololá, Quiché, Huehuetenango, Quetzaltenango, Izabal, Petén, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez.
“We reject the election of shortlists of departmental governors, since they were elected through defects on the part of the election commission by civil society and members of the Codede of said departments, who instead of acting on behalf of organized civil society , continue to be co-opted and respond to the interests of corruption and impunity, which has limited the development of our communities, municipalities and departments,” says a statement from the organizations.
They point out that the results do not meet the technical criteria and principles of transparency and publicity and that “they are shortlists made up of unsuitable and non-honorable people who are linked to mayors, deputies, political parties, private companies, construction companies, organized crime, drug trafficking and relationships with people who have been political operators and former candidates or who have already held positions during the last three governments linked to corruption.”
Due to the above, the organizations demand that President Bernardo Arévalo reject the shortlists of said departments, both for regular and alternate governors; In addition, they request that the selection process be repeated.
“The call to the authorities is due to the way in which governors are elected in different departments, which has not been very transparent. We continue to see how mafias and corruption continue to manipulate these selection processes,” said Anish Pablo, indigenous leader of Huehuetenango.
In addition, he said that some of his colleagues have received threats which “come from political organizations that we know have been established and rooted, wanting to continue managing power in the country linked to mafias.”
“We know that they have economic interests and that they want to continue protecting themselves under the protection of corruption,” he explained.
Regarding the challenges, the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency indicated that “all challenges will be taken into account by the Presidency prior to making a decision.”
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