Christa Walters spoke about representativeness, as it is closely linked to citizens' identification with their representatives. According to the Americas Barometer, 76% of the population distrusts Congress.
It is important for citizens to make extensive use of their voice and effectively oversee their representatives, which is why a strong and participatory democracy is necessary. Citizen participation goes beyond voting; it is not just something exercised every four years, but rather daily actions.
Citizen Proposal
The results of the recent elections show several problems in the Guatemalan electoral system regarding representativeness and citizen participation. In the first round of 2023, citizens' dissatisfaction was reflected in the 24.31%, meaning almost one out of four citizens who voted, did not feel represented or rejected the electoral options available. This citizen dissatisfaction is also evident in the high distrust towards the institution that should represent us, the Congress of the Republic. We need electoral reform now!
As a Movement committed to the Republic and participation, we presented a citizen proposal to the CAME. This is the second time we have participated (2020 and 2024). We emphasize that any electoral reform must be aimed at improving representativeness and citizen participation. Therefore, our proposal is focused on:
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Increasing representativeness: opening up electoral lists and districts.
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Facilitating citizen participation: electoral financing.
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Strengthening electoral authority.
What do citizens demand?
The study "Humanizing Politics," which we conducted in 2021, highlights the perceptions and interests of the young population regarding the political and electoral systems. It emphasizes the low trust and low feeling of representativeness of the young population towards their representatives. One of the recommendations from the young participants in the study was that the size of electoral districts should be changed "as they are currently too large."
Like the youth in the study, participants in the citizen dialogue agree that they do not feel represented by the deputies in Congress. They also highlighted the importance of citizen participation in oversight and in the socialization of proposals.
They also discussed the importance of transparent government actions. They concluded that reforming the Electoral and Political Parties Law to open up the lists will lead to freer elections of deputies and greater representativeness.
Let's move to open up the lists. Join MCN.