[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 169 (Thursday, November 20, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S15279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING THE PEOPLE OF GUATEMALA ON THEIR RECENT ELECTIONS

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, the people of Guatemala went to the polls 
on November 9 to elect a new President, Members of the Guatemalan 
Parliament, local officials, and representatives to the Central 
American Parliament.
  These elections attracted attention, in large part, due to the 
candidacy of Efrain Rios Montt, a former coup leader who under the 
Guatemalan constitution should have been banned from running for the 
Presidency all together. Rios Montt presided over a troubled part of 
Guatemala's history, during which time too many innocent lives were 
lost.
  Now these elections were not perfect. Long lines and confusion over 
where to vote made it difficult for many Guatemalans to express their 
political views. Some polling stations stayed open for as long as 5 
hours after they were scheduled to close; other did not. The time 
period leading up to the elections was marked by violence and 
intimidation linked to some Rios Montt supporters.
  But in the end, these were important and hopeful elections for a 
number of reasons. Rios Montt was defeated in the ballot box--and he 
accepted defeat. The willingness of losers to accept defeat is one sign 
of a maturing democracy. And the result of this defeat for Rios Montt 
should not be overlooked; he will lose his immunity from prosecution 
for crimes committed under his watch.
  There is much more to the story than Rios Montt's candidacy, however. 
Approximately 60 percent of Guatemala's 5 million voters went to the 
polls on Sunday--the largest turnout since 1985. By turning out in such 
numbers, Guatemalans showed they understand the power of the ballot 
box. As one woman put it, ``You have to vote if you want things to 
change.''
  Overall, these elections were fair and open. Ballots were not rigged, 
and vehicles carrying them were monitored by satellite.
  Violence on election day was isolated. In spite of an insecure 
climate during the campaign season, threats of violence were not 
carried out on a large scale over the weekend. The violence many had 
feared--and some observers have come to expect from elections of this 
sort--did not take place. In the words of Guatemalan Nobel Prize winner 
Rigoberta Menchu: ``This first round was about saying no to violence.''
  These elections also marked the first time a nation-wide network of 
over 3,000 independent election observers, Mirador Electoral, monitored 
Guatemalan elections--no easy feat in a country ravaged by 40 years of 
civil war. The group was so highly regarded, they were asked by the 
Guatemalan election commission to release their ``quick count'' 
projections of the winners. And the results of Mirador Electoral 
matched those reached by the election commission.
  Guatemalans will go to the polls again on December 28, and will 
choose between top vote-getters Oscar Berger and Alvaro Colon to be the 
next President. I would call upon the Guatemalan Government to maintain 
their commitment to fairness, and to make adjustments to better prepare 
for a high turn-out of Guatemalans.
  While Guatemala still has many problems, these elections give me hope 
for the future. I congratulate the Guatemalan people for their 
commitment to democracy.

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