TSE withdraws from three events for the purchase by exception of computer systems for the 2023 elections

One day before receiving the offers of six events for the purchase of technology for the 2023 General Elections, the plenary session of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) announced that it dispensed with three events, which have been criticized by various sectors and organizations, however, it will “reformulate” with a view to the elections.

“We have made a decision. In today’s plenary session it was agreed (…) dispense with the following purchase events by exception: the first, regarding the software and technological infrastructure for data entry, transmission, data entry verification, and publication of results preliminary and information of the electoral process 2023; the second, technological infrastructure software for voter registration and statistics and biometric identification in the 2023 electoral process; the third and last, portable satellite communication service for connectivity of voting centers in the 2023 electoral process, ”said the president of the TSE, Irma Palencia.

“Today we have dispensed with these (events) after the analysis it will be up to us in the next plenary session to make a decision on the matter. We are surely going to reformulate them”, explained Irma Palencia.

In a statement shared by the TSE, it informed of act 55-2022 dated November 9, 2022 that contemplates the modification of the Technological Model for the Development of the Electoral Process 2023, by means of which they indicate that the typing will be carried out in the voting center under the custody and supervision of the electoral boards and not in the Verification Center as established in the original project.

In this sense, the plenary agreed to approve the modification since the typing will be carried out in the voting centers, the chain of custody of the vote continues as established by the Electoral and Political Parties Law, preserving the phases of the process of issuing the vote, which continues to be by means of a printed paper ballot for each of the positions up for popular election, maintaining the fundamental role of the citizens that make up the electoral boards.

The events for the purchase of computer equipment for the digitization, typing and printing of documents of the 2023 electoral process are still in force.

Also The purchase of servers for the data center and the installation service and technological equipment for the press center and other areas for the dissemination of results are still in force. Preliminary elections at the national information center.

Before the TSE’s decision was known, several civil society organizations and citizens that have participated in electoral boards in previous electoral processes, They expressed their fear of the possibility that in the next elections the TSE would change the way of typing the votes for the electoral process of 2023.

They had pointed out that with this new methodology there was a risk that custody of the vote would be lost and the final results would not reflect the popular will deposited at the polls.

Salvador Biguria, who has chaired the electoral board of the Central District in previous processes, recently stated that These modifications that are intended to be made were reflected in the bases of an event in which it is intended to acquire “Software and technological infrastructure for digitization, transmission, verification and publication of final results”.

The difference is that, in previous elections, when the voting was finished, the Vote Receiving Board (JRV) He counted the votes at a table together with the political party prosecutors and entered them into a record. Then, the president of the JRV delivered it to the operator of the computer center and if it contained any error, it was corrected in the presence of the other members of the JRV and prosecutors.

With the changes that were intended to be implemented, Biguria explained that the minutes with the votes would be scanned in the computer center and it would be sent directly to the data entry and verification centers, without first checking if there is an error in them.

If it were the case that the record has an error, in the typing and verification center an operator would notify a supervisor and he would authorize him to make the changes according to his best criteria. However, this would occur without the presence of the JRV and party prosecutors, which would result in the loss of vote custody, the interviewee commented.

To see more: Images of children in the electoral campaign: groups that ensure the well-being of children ask to veto their use

Marvin Flores, from Acción Ciudadana, recently considered that “it is worrying because it would mean a hijacking of democracy. The court is totally co-opted and that is very serious,” lamented Flores.

#Now | The plenary session of magistrates @TSEGuatemala announces that they have withdrawn from the purchase of the software for typing records, the software for technological infrastructure and biometric identification, as well as the satellite communication service. @free Press @Guatevision_tv pic.twitter.com/3YtA4BiQkw

—Henry Montenegro (@hmontenegro_GTV) November 17, 2022

He commented that, since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1996, there were efforts to establish democracy in the country and this implies serious setbacks. The intention, he says, is to pave the way for certain candidates and hinder others.

Meanwhile, the Guatemala Forum, which brings together academic, business, religious and civil society organizations, issued a statement in which it recognized the importance of modernizing the administrative and technological systems in the TSE; however, they clarified that this must be done in a technical, progressive and transparent manner.

“It is important to ensure that electoral boards have the necessary tools to do their job on Election Day. This not only implies that they can be trained in time and that the TSE ensures the necessary funds. In addition, it implies that the non-centralized model is preserved where the electoral boards can fully carry out their function of counting, custody and scrutiny of votes”, expressed the Forum.