ONLINE EVENT: Elections Series – Making Sense of Guatemala’s Upcoming Elections
This post is also available in: Spanish
This event will be held in Spanish with simultaneous interpretation to English.
As Guatemalans get ready to vote in presidential, legislative, and local elections scheduled for June 25, 2023, the Inter-American Dialogue is pleased to host a panel discussion with Guatemalan experts on the overall context in which these elections will take place. Guatemala’s democratic institutions are fragile and subject to political interference. Leading presidential candidates from across the ideological spectrum who showed strength in the polls were disqualified on questionable grounds. The electoral campaign has occurred amidst serious problems for freedom of expression and association, as well as efforts by the Attorney General’s Office to strip one candidate of immunity in order to criminally investigate him.
The panel will consist of experts working on electoral observation, media, and civil society and will provide an on-the-ground assessment of what is happening today. What does the current electoral scenario look like? What is changing among the electorate opinion? Will these elections provide legitimacy to whoever wins, and how will they govern the day after taking office? Is the electoral process and outcome a prelude to further democratic backsliding in Guatemala? What can be done to avoid democratic decline?
This is the first of a series of events on upcoming elections in Latin America and the Caribbean hosted by the Inter-American Dialogue. Follow the series on Twitter at #IADElectionsSeries and @The_Dialogue.
We invite participants to submit questions using the Q&A function in Zoom OR to email questions to meetings@thedialogue.org.
OPENING REMARKS
MANUEL OROZCO
Director, Migration, Remittances, and Development Program, Inter-American Dialogue (@manuelorozco65)
SPEAKERS
MARIELOS MONZÓN
Journalist, Columnist, and General Coordinator, Ciclos de Actualización para Periodistas (Ciclos CAP) (@MarielosMonzon)
RICARDO SÁENZ DE TEJADA
Head of the Guatemala Office, Oxfam
GUSTAVO BERGANZA
Sociologist, Journalist, and Member of the Electoral Observation Mission of Guatemala (MOE Gt) (@GBerganza2023)
MODERATOR
TAMARA TARACIUK BRONER
Director, Peter D. Bell Rule of Law Program, Inter-American Dialogue (@TamaraTaraciuk)