British Embassy, Prensa Libre and Guatevision join project to present political forums
The British Embassy in Guatemala, Prensa Libre and Guatevisión formalized a strategic alliance to develop five forums with university students and political parties nominating candidates for the Presidency of the Republic.
The forums were held in Quetzaltenango, Mazatenango, Chiquimula and Guatemala City. The main topics of discussion were the ideas and proposals of the parties on the generation of employment, the role of women in society, transparency in public management, and the role of Congress.
Carolyn Davidson, British Ambassador to Guatemala, said:
We support this project because we firmly believe in the principle of freedom of the press and supporting Guatemalan democracy through dialogues that allow voters, mainly young, to inform themselves. We want freedom of information to remain a fundamental pillar of democracy, through an inclusive and participatory project where concrete proposals are discussed.
Doménica Velásquez, editorial director of Prensa Libre and Guatevisión, said:
Opening space for dialogue throughout the country is one of our commitments to Guatemala. Guatemalans need and deserve to know and discuss the proposals of political parties to make a well-informed decisions.
This is the second time that both organizations have made an alliance to carry out a project around an electoral process in Guatemala. In 2015, an agreement was signed to hold a forum with university students and the two candidates who advanced to the second round of elections.
The forums kicked off on Wednesday, March 20 in Quetzaltenango, where students from the Mesoamericana, Rafael Landívar and San Carlos universities were able to interact with and ask the representatives of the political parties about their proposals to generate employment, attract investment and create conditions for young people to deter them from having to to migrate in search of work.
In Mazatenango students from the Panamericana, Galileo and San Carlos universities discussed the role of women in society; in Chiquimula, students from the regional headquarters of the Rafael Landívar, Galileo and San Carlos universities asked about trasparency plans. In the capital, students from the universities of Francisco Marroquín, Rafael Landívar, Del Istmo, del Valle, Mesoamericana and San Carlos raised questions for candidates to Congress.
Forum about employment and the economy
Forum about the role of women in society