Central America

1,168 machines will be used for on-site electronic voting

Photo: DES

December 8 |

The company Indra, contracted by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to design the system for the on-site electronic voting abroad, will distribute 1,168 machines to 81 voting centers in 29 countries where Salvadorans are eligible to vote, detailed in an interview with “Diario El Salvador” the magistrate Guillermo Wellman.

He explained that four magistrates of the TSE recently traveled to Spain to know the advances in the design of the electronic voting system, both for the presential and remote modality by internet, and assured that the preparations are almost ready for the Salvadorans to exercise their right.

“As a matter of time we had to go to Spain because we also wanted to see how was the issue of face-to-face voting and how they were packing the machines. There are 1,168 machines that are going to be sent to 29 countries, there are 81 electronic voting centers,” he said.
He added that during the visit “we saw how is the case of the computerized voting, which is what has been done in many parts of the world, and we are already prepared, now we just need to check the software and go to the simulation to see how it works”.

Magistrate Wellman assured that the in-person electronic voting logistics will have a strong security system and that the company Indra has taken care of “even the smallest detail that carries the election process, both remote and in-person”.
“Nothing is perfect until the last, but we are trying to make things go well,” he added.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

According to the official, the system is quite complete and secure, in that sense, he added that voters will go through biometric recognition tests to access the ballot, they will also receive a QR code that will enable them to vote and finally they will receive a proof of participation in the polls, which will have an electronic record.

“We are going to have three machines here [in El Salvador] for face-to-face [electronic] voting, so that those who are interested and want to do so can see. The citizens will also be informed about this process”, he informed.

Related Topics:Central America El Salvador election 2024 vote

Up Next

Guatemalan president-elect warns of a coup d’état

Don't Miss

More than 100,000 people have visited Binaes during the first three weeks of the event

20260224_estafa_mh_300x250

International

Trump Says Iran Is Welcome at 2026 World Cup but Warns of Security Concerns

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, said Thursday that the national football team of Iran is “welcome” to participate in the 2026 World Cup, although he suggested it might be safer for the team not to take part in the tournament.

“The Iranian national soccer team is welcome at the World Cup, but I really don’t think it’s appropriate for them to be there, for their own safety,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

His comments came a day after Iran’s sports minister, Ahman Donyamali, said that there are currently no conditions for the country to participate in the tournament following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, during a military offensive launched on February 28 by Israel and the United States.

“After the corrupt government killed our leader, there are no conditions that allow us to take part in the World Cup,” the Iranian official said. He added that the country has faced two wars in the past eight or nine months, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths, making participation in the tournament unlikely.

On Tuesday, the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, met with Trump at the White House.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Following the meeting, Infantino said that Trump reiterated that Iran’s national team would be allowed to compete in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“We discussed the current situation in Iran and the fact that the Iranian team has qualified to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2026. During the conversation, President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States,” Infantino wrote on Instagram.

Central America

UN Rapporteur Warns of “Deep Crisis” in Guatemala’s Judicial System

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, said Monday that Guatemala’s judicial system is facing a “deep crisis” after evaluating the country’s institutional situation.

Speaking at a press conference in Guatemala City, the UN official explained that several factors have weakened judicial independence and placed the justice system in a “critical” situation.

Among the main problems identified were the “instrumentalization of justice,” concentration of power, and persecution of judicial officials, elements that, according to Satterthwaite, undermine the functioning of the rule of law in the country.

Satterthwaite presented these conclusions while releasing her final report on the visit she carried out in May 2025, when she spent 12 days in Guatemala assessing the performance of the judicial system.

During her stay, she met with judges, prosecutors, public defenders, lawyers, lawmakers, civil society organizations, and representatives of Indigenous communities, as well as officials from the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. These meetings took place in Guatemala City and in the departments of Quetzaltenango and Alta Verapaz.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The rapporteur also reiterated her concern about the role of the Public Ministry of Guatemala, noting that the information collected points to the existence of a policy of criminalization against justice operators.

Despite this scenario, Satterthwaite expressed confidence that Guatemala can reverse the situation, highlighting that the country’s Constitution has previously demonstrated the ability to guarantee respect for the rule of law.

She also stressed that key appointments expected in the coming months will be decisive for the future of the judicial system, including the selection of a new Constitutional Court of Guatemala, a new Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Guatemala, and a new attorney general to replace the current head of the Public Ministry, Consuelo Porras.

“The appointments scheduled for 2026 to the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, and the Public Ministry will be decisive in determining whether the current patterns of institutional capture and impunity will be consolidated or reversed,” the rapporteur concluded.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Central America

UN Report Warns of Nicaragua’s “Transnational” Surveillance Network Targeting Dissidents

A special panel of the United Nations accused the government of Nicaragua on Tuesday of diverting public funds to finance the repression of political opposition both inside and outside the country, including through what it described as a “transnational network” of surveillance and intelligence.

The panel presented a new report to the press on the situation in the Central American nation, which has been governed since 2007 by President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president Rosario Murillo.

Based on dozens of interviews and extensive documentary evidence, the report states that since 2018—the year when student protests erupted and were violently suppressed—public funds have been diverted to support repression, including money originally allocated for social assistance programs and public sanitation projects.

According to the report, a “parallel structure” was created within the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front to channel resources toward security operations, pro-government armed groups, and party activities.

The investigation was carried out at the request of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Another key finding of the report concerns the existence of a surveillance and intelligence network that extends far beyond Nicaragua’s borders, allegedly used to monitor, intimidate, and target hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans living abroad.

The report documents an intelligence structure involving the military, police, migration authorities, the telecommunications regulator TELCOR, diplomatic missions, and operators linked to the FSLN.