The consultation was called by the municipal council at the request of the people. 98,87% of the votes were in favor of life and in rejection to mining. 7602 people registered in the electoral roll participated.
The people clearly demanded that no metal chemical mining projects be developed or installed in Nueva Santa Rosa municipality.

The electoral day passed without any problems until some people unrelated to the process tried to boycott it. These people showed up in different voting centers with false identities, claiming to be credited journalists or university students conducting polls related to the consultation. None of them were able to prove their identity.
Santa Rosa is part of the high area of Los Esclavos River basin, one of the most important rivers in Guatemala. Any activity involving this river will have a direct impact on the availability of water for consumption, said Juan Carlos Estrada, representative of Madre Selva, an organization that joined the consultation.

Canadian transnational company Tahoe Resources, through San Rafael SA, aims to develop El Oasis project for the extraction of gold, silver and other minerals in Nueva Santa Rosa and Santa Rosa de Lima.
According to a statement issued by the population, this is the first step in a consultation process throughout the region. In fact, on Sunday, July 10th, the people of Santa Rosa de Lima will decide on the installation, development and operation of mining projects in their territory. And in Casillas, San Rafael Las Flores, of Santa Rosa department and Mataquescuintla and San Carlos Alzatate municipalities of Jalapa department, the people will submit their requests for consultations.

Photo: Noticias.com.gt