The preliminary electoral results transmission system (TREP), which cost Q148 million, will no longer be used in the elections. Now the electoral authorities elaborate their own computer system for the general voting of 2027.
The TREP, which transmitted the preliminary results of the 2023 elections received criticism from some political parties that indicated an apparent electoral fraud. Even the codes of this system were delivered to the Public Ministry (MP) by one of the current investigation processes.
But the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) informed the political parties, after a series of dialogue tables for the next votes, which will be creating their own computer system.
“The cloud services is being hired to be able to have information backups both in the TSE data center and in the cloud services. This to be able to have systems capable of addressing the needs of the electoral process,” said Jorge Morales, director of Computer Science.
The position of computer science at the TSE is vacant and despite the fact that the electoral authority has published calls for the position, it remains emptied with a functions.
Morales added, “this year the budget for the entire condition of conditioning and processing at the TSE data center was conditioned,” indicating that they have already hired 17 developers.
“We want to ensure that the infrastructure of the TSE is safe, that we no longer have the need to invest too much because we are doing it today. For the new plenary to only detail to the execution,” according to its estimates for the electoral year this unit would need Q300 million, both for the operation of the tool, personal and different transfers, both of staff and of Equipos, within the Republic.
In the final part of the 2025 they hope to have developed the strategy, so that in the first part of 2026 the tool is developed, internal tests will be developed, according to their planning. Finally, they hope that by 2027 the new Plenary of Magistrates already has the tool and only have public drills program.
For his part, Pedro Cruz, representative of First Guatemala, an organization that was monitoring the last electoral process, it is appropriate that this tool develops, but emphasized that the credibility of the process lies in the inspection of the volunteers.
“To make a new system, because those who always validate the results are the electoral boards. But it is important that public drills be made, which are shown how the data is transmitted and how the preliminary results are being counted,” he said.
The Comptroller General of Accounts (CGC) denounced the TSE for apparent an overvaluation in the purchase of the TREP system, which initially the electoral authority justified its purchase as a system that would be used in multiple electoral processes.
Even for the purchase of this system, four title magistrates of the TSE lost their immunity and face a criminal process that separated them from their functions, a case assigned to the Prosecutor’s Office of Administrative Crimes for a citizen complaint.