EPAGuatemalans celebrate the verdict of the Electoral Council in the pouring rain
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 05:53
The political chaos in Guatemala seems complete now that two completely different decisions have been made about the outcome of the presidential elections. The June 25 elections have been the subject of much controversy for some time due to the unexpected emergence of Bernardo Arévalo, an anti-corruption candidate.
Arévalo of the social-democratic party Semilla made it to the surprise of many in the second round, while few chances had been attributed to him beforehand. He was due to face former first lady Sandra Torres in the second round, but the highest court in Guatemala suspended the election results at the beginning of this month. Critics feared that attempts were being made to antagonize Arévalo.
Tonight two different judgments were made. On the one hand, the Ministry of Justice announces that the result that Semilla achieved in the first round will be discontinued and that the party will be suspended. But the Electoral Council of Guatemala rules that the result has been correctly approved and that Arévalo will face Torres in the second round on August 20.
Statements followed one another
According to Justice Department Special Prosecutor Curruchiche, there are indications that Semilla illegally collected more than 5,000 signatures needed to become a political party. Twelve of these would belong to deceased persons.
The Special Prosecutor’s statement was released as Guatemalans anxiously awaited a press conference by the Electoral Council on the outcome of the election. Only minutes after Semilla was suspended by the prosecutor, the Electoral Council ratified the results of the election.
It is unclear which government agency is right now. Arévalo tells CNN to challenge the suspension because he believes it has no legal basis. He adds that the law states that political parties cannot be suspended in the middle of an election.
Guatemala nieuwe Nicaragua
At the beginning of this month, US Secretary of State Blinken expressed his deep concern about the suspected attempts to manipulate the election results. In 2021, the US government already announced that it had lost confidence in Guatemala’s intention to tackle corruption in the country. Last year, Special Prosecutor Curruchiche was added to a list of corrupt and undemocratic individuals for allegedly obstructing corruption investigations.
The former US ambassador to the Central American country, Donald Planty, tells Reuters news agency that he has never experienced such a situation in Guatemala. “This would certainly mark an astonishing new low for Guatemala. It would mark the beginning of the end for democracy.” Others say that Guatemala is fast becoming the new Nicaragua. Dictator Daniel Ortega has that country completely in his grip.
2023-07-13 03:53:55
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