World news story

British Embassy to co-host a forum with Guatemalan presidential candidates

“Free dialogue with presidential candidates” is the name of the forum Prensa Libre, with the support of the British Embassy in Guatemala, will take place on Monday, October 5th with the candidate Jimmy Morales, from the Front of National Convergence (FCN-Nation), and Sandra Torres, of the National Unity of Hope (UNE).

Forum with presidential candidates

The forum will begin at 6 pm and will be broadcast live from the auditorium of the Hotel Westin Camino Real, by Prensa Libre TV and Guatevisión, and all the detail of the event will be also available throughout these accounts in Twitter: @prensa_libre and @Guatevision_tv.

The purpose of the alliance between Prensa Libre and the British Embassy is to discuss and learn about ideas and concrete proposals of the presidential candidates on the future of young Guatemalans and defend freedom of expression as an instrument of democracy.

To mark the event, the British Ambassador to Guatemala, Thomas Carter, said:

This year we are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the document which sets out the fundamental elements of democracy and which is now used as the basis of democratic government across the world. We believe that the young people of Guatemala have much to contribute in the democratic process, not only as representatives of the country’s future, but also as crucial players in the winds of change that have made history this year in Guatemala. I commend the presidential candidates for accepting this opportunity for dialogue with young Guatemalans, many of who will be voting for the first time.

The core of the forum includes two segments in which university students will ask questions to the presidential candidates, which have been developed together with representatives of the universities Francisco Marroquin, Del Istmo, Rafael Landivar, San Carlos de Guatemala and Del Valle. There will be a space for quick questions on aspects related to human rights and international affairs.

The audience in social networks will also have a space, and they can ask specific questions to each candidate, using the hashtag #YoCuidoMiVotoGT. The British Embassy and Prensa Libre have invited to the forum business and religious leaders, political and economic analysts, leaders of peasant and labour sectors, and rectors of the participating universities.

Published 2 October 2015