The following information is an unofficial translation of a facsimile in Spanish sent to the DIRB by the First Secretary and Consul at the Embassy of the Republic of Guatemala on 19 June 1995. The letter states that:

1) the only person allowed to put the Supreme Electoral Tribunal emblem in the identification card (cédula) of a Guatemalan citizen is a "delegate of the electoral table" (Delegado de mesa electoral).

2) The emblem is stamped in the "cédula de vecindad" (the "cédula de ciudadanía" has been discontinued many years ago).

3) The emblem is stamped only on the day of an election (every four years for Presidential elections and elections of deputies and mayors in all the Republic of Guatemala. If an election is called because of a change of government, the process is repeated).

4) All Guatemalan citizens who show up to vote must have the emblem in their cédula; otherwise, the absence of a stamp for a period in which a person resided in Guatemala means that the person did not vote. This could be due to sickness or other compelling reasons, which must be explained if required.

5) Each time there is a vote, a new emblem is stamped in the cédula indicating the year of the election.

6) Each Guatemalan citizen who is in the country and able to vote at the moment of the election must present himself/herself personally at the ballot box, nobody else can represent him/her.

7) In order to be able to vote, a Guatemalan citizen must be registered as a citizen of the country in all necessary documents to that effect and show up to vote at the date of the election at the location that corresponds to the number of his/her cédula de vecindad.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Embassy of the Republic of Guatemala, Ottawa. 19 June 1995. Letter from the First Secretary and Consul to the DIRB.