Seed heading to the second round between demonstrations and actions in the Cortes

By Regina Perez

The last 24 hours were the most crucial and decisive in Guatemalan democracy, almost three weeks after the first round that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) will make official the results of the June 25 elections, to confirm that the National Unity parties of the Esperanza (UNE) and Movimiento Semilla would contest the second round.

After several days of waiting, on Wednesday July 12, minutes before the plenary session of magistrates offered a press conference that was delayed for two hours, the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI), Rafael Curruchiche, announced that a decision by the seventh judge, Fredy Orellana, suspended the legal status of the Semilla party, a decision that was announced the same day the electoral results were made official.

This is because the FECI supposedly investigated a complaint from a citizen who said that he was illegally affiliated with said party, and that possibly another five thousand people would have been adhered by means of falsifying documents. A sufficient reason for the MP to begin to investigate the party that promoted the deputy Bernardo Arévalo and the scientist and teacher Karin Herrera as his presidential pairing.

Citizens who went to the TSE on Wednesday afternoon to wait for the press conference that would confirm that the pairings of UNE and Semilla would dispute the second round, continued in front of the electoral headquarters demonstrating against what they considered a new attempt by the called a corrupt pact to seize the elections and impose their favorites.

The surprising victory of Semilla, which went to the second round, shook the dominant system that did not see coming that Arévalo, son of former president Juan José Arévalo and Karin Herrera, a scientist and teacher, would go to the second round. This is what the couple said in a conference offered on July 13: “we are a danger that they did not see coming.”

At midnight on Wednesday, the prosecutors of the Semilla party Juan Guerrero and Andrea Reyes as well as the deputy Samuel Pérez arrived at the Constitutional Court (CC), to present an amparo on behalf of Arévalo, legal representative of the Semilla party who was seeking that the electoral authorities not comply with the order of Judge Orellana and that the Court be ordered to continue with the normal course of the electoral process.

The raid that never happened

A few hours after Curruchiche’s announcement, rumors arose that on Thursday morning the Public Ministry (MP) and the National Civil Police (PNC) would carry out a raid on the party headquarters, located in zone 1 of the capital city. This was even confirmed by Semilla’s press team.

“I inform you that we are planning a search by the Public Ministry of our party headquarters at 6 in the morning,” was spread in the organization’s campaign chat.

Around 6 in the morning, journalists began to arrive at the headquarters, alerted to the possible diligence. Two hours later, the atmosphere was still the same. Children were dropped off by their parents at school and PNC agents made routine rounds.

However, several blocks away, at the Citizens’ Registry building, FECI prosecutors and agents from the Police Information Division (DIP) had arrived to carry out a raid on the Department of Political Organizations.

Behind closed doors, the prosecutors carried out the inspection while TSE workers emptied files and filled green containers with the affiliation and adhesion sheets to the Semilla organization, registered as a party in November 2018.

The raid is related to the investigation carried out by the FECI against the party.

Cinthia Monterroso, the FECI prosecutor, known for taking the case against the journalist Jose Rubén Zamora and the former prosecutor Samari Gómez, and for asking that the press be investigated for their publications, arrived an hour later to lead the operation. Wearing a vest, cap and mask, she entered the Registry headquarters, accompanied by armed personnel, without giving any statement.

The campaign continues.”

Simultaneously, the presidential pair of Semilla together with elected deputies and deputies and other members offered a press conference in which they announced that despite the legal problems that the group was going through, they were ready to move forward and, after the announcement of the TSE , they were officially in the second round.

We are not going to be distracted by these illegal acts by this corrupt group, said presidential candidate Arévalo, whose party supported the magistrates’ decision to make the results official despite the irregularities and risks that arose to the constitutional order.

Likewise, Semilla trusted that the CC would favorably resolve the amparo filed by way of prevention against the resolution of Judge Fredy Orellana.

The political group thanked the support it has received from various sectors that have spoken out in defense of the country’s institutionality and the integrity of the electoral process, including indigenous movements, the organized economic sector, popular movements, the Catholic Church and others.

Semilla denounces Rafael Curruchiche

In the afternoon, the National Seed Prosecutor, Juan Guerrero, and the attorney for Deputy Samuel Pérez, Joseline Jácome, filed two appeals for reversal in the Seventh Court against Judge Fredy Orellana’s resolution.

According to Guerrero, what this action seeks is for Orellana to annul the resolution he issued on July 12, which in his opinion is unconstitutional.

At the same time, the plenary session of the CC learned of the protection of Semilla and resolved in favor of the party, which allows the second round to take place.

Meanwhile, in front of the MP, hundreds of citizens showed their rejection of the Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, Rafael Curruchiche and President Alejandro Giammattei. “Curruchiche is not a prosecutor, he is another criminal” and “Consuelo, coup leader” were one of the recurring phrases chanted by the protesters, mainly young people.

In that place, the Seed couple filed a complaint against the head of the FECI for the crime of breach of duty, abuse of authority, resolutions that violate the Constitution and abuse of authority for electoral purposes.

Upon entering the MP to present the complaint, the citizens chanted “You see, you feel, Bernardo presidente” when they saw Arévalo and Herrera, who were wearing red carnations, a symbol of university historical memory.

Upon leaving, the presidential candidate offered a speech that was almost inaudible due to the euphoria and emotion of the protesters. “This complaint is for Guatemala’s democracy, for fair elections, for the possibility of preventing corrupt groups from continuing to take over public institutions,” Arévalo said.

When Arévalo and Herrera withdrew, the spirit of the demonstrators did not falter and they continued to shout slogans against Porras, Curruchiche and even against Walter Mazariegos, the rector who imposed himself in the USAC through electoral fraud.

The day ended with another complaint filed by Semilla’s legal team in the Judiciary against Judge Orellana for breach of duty, abuse of authority, resolutions in violation of the Constitution, prevarication and abuse of authority.