by Francesco Giappichini –
The progressive 64-year-old Bernardo Arévalo of the Movimiento semilla (Semilla) won the presidential elections in Guatemala, with 60.9% of the votes overtaking the moderate candidate Sandra Torres, who holds 39.1%. The elected president, who will take office on January 14, and has been branded a “communist” by his opponents, will have to face four fundamental challenges: the fight against corruption, the fight against poverty and inequality, security, and the defense of the rights of the LGBT community (Lesbian , gay, bisexual and transgender). All objectives that the former ambassador to Spain and deputy minister of external relations – born in Montevideo, where his father was in exile – will have to pursue with great difficulty.
First of all, it will have to face the hostility of the economic elite, according to whose alarmist slogans, it will expropriate the possessions of the wealthiest families. Secondly, his mandate will be that of a “lame duck”: the Congress of the Republic will have a conservative majority, and Semilla will only have 23 out of 160 deputies. Thirdly, he will have to deal with a hostile judiciary, the whose leaders are included, by the United States, in the list of “funcionarios corruptos y antidemocráticos”: Rafael Curruchiche, head of the special prosecution against impunity, has assured that there is evidence for which “after August 20 they will have to register the suspension of the party » Semilla.
In short, according to the Fiscalía especial against impunidad, we would be faced with a sub iudice election. Meanwhile, a step back: there is no doubt that part of the authority enjoyed by the elected president comes from his father Juan José Arévalo. Between 1945 and 1951, the head of state not only founded «spiritual socialism» or «arevalismo», but originated that progressive season which was cut short only by the 1954 coup against his successor, Jacobo Árbenz: the archetype of all the interference of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in the “backyard”. The first objective of the «gobierno de la nueva primavera», and let’s go back to the present day, will be the fight against corruption: its movement was born in 1915, with the protests that led to the resignation of the head of state Otto Pérez Molina.
And to attack the “pacto de corruptos”, which has been leading the country for twenty years with growing authoritarianism and with the logic of co-optation, he has announced a “gabinete específico anticorrupción”, and a supervisory commission autonomous from the executive. This is in addition to the “civil death” – read disqualification from public office – for the corrupt. Second point, implement the social program “Diez semillas para recuperar el futuro”, or improve the living conditions for half of the population living in poverty: half of Guatemalan children have been diagnosed with some form of chronic malnutrition. Health and education services, especially in rural areas, are insufficient, and all this translates into growing migratory flows. The third cornerstone of the “Uncle Bernie” program, as its followers call it, concerns safety. Any emulation of “bukelism” is excluded: the objective will have to be pursued with effective control of the territory and prisons – reducing overcrowding – and with the strengthening of intelligence activities. In summary, the strengthening of the Policía nacional will be central. Fourth point, the defense of the rights of the lgbt community, which for the adversaries will translate into abortion struggles and battles for equal marriage.
