Tse begins budget discussion and transfer of results of the 2027 elections

The preparation of a proposal on the budget for the pre -election year and for 2027 is one of the work axes underway after the integration of the Plenary of Magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE).

Although it is a year in which there is no call for elections, all the work involved in the electoral year 2027, by the different directors, began to prepare.

In the case of the budget requested by the electoral body for 2026 and 2027, the acting president of the TSE, Blanca Alfaro Guerra, explained to Free press That the Budget Directorate must present next June, together with the planning unit, the proposal to add the requirements for the pre and electoral year.

He clarified that this work is carried out at the address level and the plenary of magistrates does not intervene, but when they already have the results of the operational and financial programs for the allocation of resources by 2027, it will be when they will already transfer it and will correspond to the new magistrates to meet him. That is, the plan of how much will cost the general elections of 2027.

For June, it would be expected to know the numbers and distribution of the pre -election and electoral budget that would be presented to the Technical Directorate of the Budget (DTP) of the Ministry of Finance to make the assignments in the Expenditure Proposal of 2026.

In planning it also includes the logistics of the elections.

Destination of political parties

With the integration of the Plenary of Magistrates, Alfaro commented that in the legal area you have to dispatch the different proposals of the political groups that presented an appeal after the cancellation resolutions were issued.

In addition, the different regulations are analyzed, such as the Media Unit, in which a proposal is discussed and for this week an audience was scheduled with the Comptroller General of Accounts with the Plenary to talk about some concerns.

Data transfer

Alfaro remarked that he works at a technical table between directors of the TSE and representatives of several political parties, in relation to the computer system to “see how they would face the 2027 with the computer issue”.

He affirmed that when these tables are concluded, the results will be presented, and “it would be necessary to make decisions, communicate to the presidency and the corresponding plenary sessions will be convened.”

Residence Conference

In May, the Electoral Residence Days will begin, which will allow the update of the voters, and one of the instructions given to the directors is to review the “hauling,” explained the magistrate.

He affirmed that some places where there are more people registered than the number of people registered in the National Personal Registry (Renap), a “serious” situation but that, from May, with the field days, an update will be carried out and take measures and take measures will be identified and take measures if people do not reside there, Alfaro warned.

The current authorities must close the electoral residence, but not of the registration.

“The change of electoral residence data will still be carried out and after that stage of residence and registration comes the second stage of the update of the regulations that are being worked on, of the requirements that must be had of registration data of municipal corporations, deputies and the presidential binomial,” said Alfaro.

These stages will occur in the context of the relay of magistrates that will occur on January 20, 2026.

He said that this week a meeting was scheduled with the Congress Electoral Affairs Commission, to talk about several issues, such as the Media Unit, vote abroad and funds.

Voting count

Another stages is about the transfer of information on the day of the elections.

Alfaro commented that they suggest that it is no longer called the transmission of preliminary electoral results (TREP), but to agree on another denomination, as in several countries, which is a preliminary transfer of results, which are not official, but preliminary, and how the trend marches.

This issue is addressing the computer unit and for June it is expected to know a first proposal and the final version in September, with a verification among all the actors.

Relay of magistrates

The Congress of the Republic must make the call to integrate the application commissions for TSE magistrates.

Alfaro indicated that the legislative enters the recess phase in May, returns in August, and in October and November they must be the decisive months for the process.

The Congress must notify the Bar Association and Notaries of Guatemala to make the logistics to choose its representative, and by notifying the person who will integrate, the deans of the universities will be notified to name their delegate and also to the rector of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala.

He said that it is very likely that in December the swear of the application commission and in January the election of the title and alternates with the call will be made.

Prepare next choice

The independent political scientist Douglas González and the political analyst Renzo Rosal agreed that the TSE is perceived as “weak”, but it was stabilized with the integration of the plenary with the alternate magistrates.

“The separation of four of its titular members affects, and the right thing is that there are not a sentence against them can be integrated in order to conclude their period. If not, the alternate magistrates must integrate only with the aim of not making greater changes because they lack legitimacy in the exercise of the charges,” Gonzalez said.

Regarding the planning of the 2027 elections, the political scientist says that the TSE must take note of the events of 2023, such as the use of public resource by the official party, the “spurious” suspension of candidates and free choice, and must be the pillars to ensure that the next election will not be adulterated.

Rosal, meanwhile, points out that, with the integration of the substitutes, the key is to stabilize the operation and decision -making of the TSE, and since 2023 there is a process of instability that has lasted almost two years and that decreased their intensity of work and managed to take out an electoral process “in a clear weakening that was external and punctually intrusion of the Public Ministry that affected the dynamics and operation of the electoral body”.

“In a year they deliver the charges and the ideal is to deliver it in stable or strengthened conditions, and to solve the weakening fronts that have been had, so that the new magistracy can prepare the following electoral event, which will have little time to prepare the elections and that the current team has to move forward,” he said.

Regain independence

Rosal added that, in the face of the 2027 elections, the TSE must recover independence as an essential part, since the intentions of wanting to violate the electoral body from what happened in 2023 and that it is subordinated in precarious conditions of conducting the following process is subordinated.

“Those are the fundamental premises that must be contained and resist, and not falling into those vectors that would be harmful to the country, which has lost muscle in the last two elections, but has remained in front and the goal is to stop that search for deterioration for 2027,” said Rosal.

González noted that one of the high issues will be how the TSE will address the early campaign, as well as an effort in the control of political parties, especially to ensure that resources of corruption or organized crime do not arrive, which is a fundamental task to maintain and clean up the political system and ensure that those who apply for positions are not conditioned by factual powers.

Regain trust

Likewise, the political analyst José Carlos Ortega Santa Cruz, pointed out that the TSE has a main challenge, which is to regain credibility and generate confidence in the participation of citizenship, possible candidates and political organizations that are registered in accordance with the law.

In his opinion, the electoral law inherited from the reform in 2016 left problems that have not been solved, in addition to the exaggerated judicialization of the processes. The TSE can make internal changes and modify regulations to generate trust and credibility.

“There are processes that must be resolved, such as the cancellation of parties, fines and sanctions. Continuous and permanent registration have been deficient. To which they should not put effort is the registration abroad, apart from the problem and normal cost, with the persecution of irregular migrants in the US.

He also suggested an analysis of what has caused the processes to be prosecuted so that, as far as possible, problems are stuck from the beginning. “For example, a detail review of the electoral roll to eliminate people who cannot participate, review the affiliates of the political parties so that they do not have registration problems, eliminating dead, names and unique identification code (CUI), etc., because there are sure there are several with that problem,” Ortega added.

Another very important aspect, said the analyst, is to define the stationery process, that is, the minutes and reference terms of the computer system to be used.

“Whether a system made in the TSE is used or bought, it must be well specified to eliminate doubts. Apart, initiate processes of definition of what is necessary to buy and quote, in such a way that it is detailed, advanced not to make purchases and emergency hiring, without following the processes of transparency and competition,” he explained.

Ortega Santa Cruz concluded that it is essential that there is a way of creating confidence in the participation of the electoral boards and votes receiving votes, for the attacks what some of them received.