The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

More than a decade after the 1996 United Nations-sponsored peace accords ended 36 years of civil war, many Guatemalans continue to be marginalized from political life. Many citizens are disillusioned with the political process and feel that their votes, like the Peace Accords, will not lead to significant changes in their lives. They lack confidence in public institutions -- such as the security or justice systems -- and show increasing disenchantment with political processes and further disengagement from participation. Recent studies show historically high rates of voter abstention, and limited representation in democratic institutions among women and indigenous peoples relative to other segments of society. High abstention rates are indicative of how far removed women and indigenous people are from political participation in Guatemala.

To help address this exclusion, Guatemalan election authorities implemented a massive decentralization of voting stations for the 2007 elections to enfranchise rural indigenous voters. Although likely to take several years to effectively implement, this effort provides political parties with opportunities and incentives to develop long-term outreach strategies that go beyond their previous focus on urban populations. Expanded outreach efforts are also motivated by recent internal party reforms, post-election financing of political parties, and the high-profile presidential candidacy of Nobel Laureate and indigenous leader Rigoberta Menchú.

To reach women and indigenous voters, parties will need to build new organizational structures outside of the urban centers; recruit and train new party members; and bring in fresh candidates and leaders.

Women’s Political Participation

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