Leftist candidate Bernardo Arévalo of the Seed movement emerged victorious in the elections for Guatemala’s president with 59.7 percent of the vote, after 84 percent of the votes counted. In Guatemala heA magnifying glass during the electoral process was in the institutions more than in the candidates. In the midst of the presidential candidacy, the Supreme Electoral Court issued statements affirming that it would continue to “guarantee the transmission of preliminary results as a factor of trust, security and transparency.”
In many countries the matter would be trivial. But in Guatemala it was responding to an Amparo Interim Order of the Supreme Court which, after an extraordinary session on Saturday night, issued a judgment of candidate Sandra Torres requested by the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party, where it had ordered the Supreme Electoral Court ( TSE) Ensuring the transparency of the transmission of election data and facilitate the work of the prosecutors of the disputed factions. The Torres Group had expressed doubts about the transparency of the vote this Sunday.
“We will respect the election results Yes, and only if, at a given moment, it is demonstrated that everything done at the tables corresponds to what is reflected in the computer system,” said César Romano, UNE representative before the TSE.
Parallel to, Two Supreme Electoral Court judges said they had received threats. One of them, Blanca Alfaro, made it public just before voting began, explaining that on August 19 she received several messages on WhatsApp, including one that read, “I hope you will not make the mistake of committing fraud , because if.” carried out, his studies will end and we will insult his person and family“. Alfaro confirmed that the other judge was under threat Gabriel Aguilera Bolanoswhich was confirmed by the TSE’s communications director, David de León.
This Sunday, the official announced that she would step down from her post before Congress beginning Tuesday. “I think my term will last until this election. For this they chose me and I didn’t resign beforehand because it was the moment to obey the country and finish this election,” he assured. TSE President Irma Palencia He was surprised by Alfaro’s announcement when he voted.
If the progressive candidate Bernardo Arevalo voted for it “Consolidating Democratic Institutions”. The Seed movement standard-bearer went to the polls as the favorite after overcoming many issues with prosecutors trying to overturn his party’s legal status, calling his option into question. The process will continue after the elections.
The candidate for her part Sandra Torresformer first lady and social democrat in the competition for the third time, voted without making any statements to the press.
drug trafficking and corruption
Whoever wins the presidency in Guatemala must face a country in which State corruption, drug trafficking and migration have become the three main problems. Between 2024 and 2028 it will also have to do with this the reconciliation of the state with human rightsafter being included in a list by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in 2022, which also includes Venezuela and Nicaragua.
However, the most relevant focus is on the justice system, where mismanagement is the order of the day. In the past three years, dozens of former officials and businessmen accused of corruption have been released, while judges and prosecutors have gone into exile after handling iconic cases. Also Journalists have fleds considering how press harassment has intensified, as in the case of the José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, who was arrested after denouncing cases of corruption in the judiciary and were accused of money laundering.
In 2022, Transparency International ranked Guatemala among the four most corrupt countries in the Americas, and reports of links between politicians and drug trafficking networks are commonplace. Since 2019 more than 150 suspected Guatemalan drug traffickers were arrested in the country with US extradition orders, the northern country where around 90% of the drugs shipped through Guatemala go.
On the other hand, the country plays a role 59% poverty among its 18 million inhabitants, including almost 20% of the population in extreme poverty, both data that help make it one of the most unequal countries in the region. A context in which criminal violence kills at least 4,000 people each year and pushes thousands to emigrate to the United States.