External evaluation findings on the Mirador Electoral election observation: To help safeguard the integrity of Guatemala’s 2015 elections, NDI and nine-member local observation coalition, Electoral Watch (Mirador Electoral), conducted a comprehensive program to monitor the pre-election environment as well as the electoral process and polls on election day. Following the conclusion of this program, NDI contracted an external evaluation of the project to gain insight on lessons learned and recommendations for future electoral processes. During the in-country portion of the evaluation, the evaluation team met with 53 people to gather primary data through interviews, focus groups and a participatory workshop. Data was gathered in Guatemala City from NDI personnel, Mirador Electoral members, donor representatives, government officials, and journalists. Three focus groups were conducted with election observers in Cobán, Alta Verapaz and Chiquimula, Chiquimula. Following the conclusion of the evaluation, NDI organized a presentation of the report findings by the evaluation team for representatives from the Mirador Electoral coalition. The evaluation team concluded that the observation conducted by Mirador Electoral is widely recognized in Guatemala as a fundamental element of the electoral process and that the coalition made the appropriate decision to maintain observation activities despite the conditions of uncertainty surrounding the 2015 electoral process. The evaluation also provided recommendations for consolidating the coalition and deepening ties with observers at the municipal level.