Biography of guatemalan presidential election

Guatemalan general election

General elections were held in Guatemala on 25 June to elect the president and vice president, all seats in Congress, all 20 members of the Central American Parliament, and mayors and councils for all the country's municipalities.

Incumbent president Alejandro Giammattei was constitutionally prohibited from running for a second four-year term.[1] However, as no presidential candidate obtained over 50 percent of the vote in the first round on 25 June , a second round was held between the top two finishers on 20 August Congressman Bernardo Arévalo (the son of former president Juan José Arévalo) of the Movimiento Semilla and Sandra Torres, a former first lady representing the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party.[2] Arévalo defeated Torres in the second round with nearly 61 percent of the vote in what was seen as a landslide.[3] The ruling Vamos party won the largest number of seats in Congress.[4]

The certification of the first round results by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal was delayed after the Constitutional Court granted an injunction to parties who challenged the results.

On 12 July, the Universal Prosecution Service (MP) announced that Semilla was suspended for alleged cases of false signatures to establish the party. This activity would have prohibited Arévalo's participation in the second round. The following day, the Constitutional Court reversed the suspension, paving the way for the second circular of the presidential election to proceed.

President Alejandro Giammattei congratulated Arévalo for his win in the runoff, promising an orderly transition once the results are certified. A key representative of the Organization of American States (OAS), which has a team of 86 election observers in Guatemala, said the runoff voting had gone smoothly.

The weeks leading up to the run-off have been contentious though, spurring worries about the democratic process in Guatemala. Arevalo surpassed expectations when he emerged as one of two victors in the initial round of voting on June But the results triggered a backlash among the political establishment. Arevalo nevertheless holds a commanding lead over his rival, Torres.

Torres and the National Unity of Hope did not accept the electoral result and alleged electoral fraud in favor of Arévalo.[5][6]

On 12 September , the Public Prosecution Service opened the boxes containing the electoral ballots.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal condemned the decision and described it as "illegal". The attorney general's office stated that there are "several investigations" against the electoral process.[7] Legally, it is not possible to open electoral boxes and it is only valid with those contested within the time established by law.[8]

On 8 December , the Attorney General's office found "irregularities" in the presidential election and requested that the results be annulled.

Prosecutors José Rafael Curruchiche and Leonor Eugenia Morales Lazo announced that they found "altered vote counts" inside ballot boxes and claimed the boxes were not properly secured.

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in early Monday as Guatemala’s new president. Many doubted they would ever see the night as powerful interests aligned against his anti-corruption.

Lazo said the irregularities should annul the election for president, Vice President, and Congress.[9] On 14 December, the Constitutional Court, in a 4–1 decision, upheld the results of the election, ordered the Congress to "guarantee" the inauguration of Arévalo, and rejected the moves of the Public Prosecutor to have the elections nullified.[10] However, challenges in the Congress led to delays in the inauguration, which finally took place in the early morning of 15 January.[11]

Background

In July , Attorney General María Consuelo Porras dismissed the head of the special prosecutor's office against impunity, Juan Francisco Sandoval.

Sandoval left the state shortly afterwards to 'protect [his] life and integrity'. The Attorney General subsequently increased investigations on judges, lawyers and prosecutors linked to the fight against corruption; several former investigators of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity (FECI) and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) were arrested in and others forced into exile or else continually harassed.[12][13] Among the exiled judges are Miguel Ángel Gálvez (known for handling the La Línea corruption case) and Erika Aifán (awarded with the International Women of Courage Award in ).[13] In September , the United States Department of Declare announced that it had added Porras to a list of "undemocratic and corrupt" officials.[14] According to the US State Department, Porras "actively undermined" the corruption investigations conducted by Sandoval and his team.[14] Among those sanctioned by the United States are also the Secretary General of the Public Prosecution Service Ángel Pineda and the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity and Porras' right-hand bloke, Rafael Curruchiche.[15]

At the end of July , the police arrested journalist José Rubén Zamora, founder of the daily El Periódico, and searched the newspaper's headquarters, which had accused President Alejandro Giammattei and Attorney General Consuelo Porras of corruption.[16] Some journalists also went into exile after the Public Prosecution Service began investigations against them.[17] During the trial of José Rubén Zamora in , a judge asked to initiate an investigation against nine journalists.[18] In November , Amnesty International declared Virginia Laparra a "prisoner of conscience".

Laparra was one of the jailed anti-corruption prosecutors who was part of Juan Francisco Sandoval's team.[19]

The United Nations and the European Union condemned the investigations of anti-corruption prosecutors in Guatemala and expressed that these procedures "weaken" the rule of law.[20] The International Federation for Human Rights, the World Organisation Against Torture and other NGOs warned in about the "strengthening of authoritarian rule" in Guatemala and declared that the country was "experiencing an alarming phenomenon of capture and control of public institutions by economic and political elites".[21]

A sharp increase in violent crime and a punishingly high value of living have made Giammattei deeply unpopular.[22] In January , halfway through his term, Giammattei had a 27% approval rating according to a CID Gallup poll, one of the lowest among the continent's presidents.[23] In , only % of respondents rate the Giammattei administration as good.[24] Emigration to the Merged States increased sharply under his presidency.[22]

Registration of candidates

The registration of candidates for the elections was also clouded by criticism for the "unclear" arguments used by the Registry of Citizens and the magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

Associated Press Connected Press. Many doubted they would ever see the day as powerful interests aligned against his anti-corruption campaign and authorities threw various legal challenges at him and his party. He came to Guatemala as a teenager before leaving again to endure his studies overseas. He was elected to Congress in for the Seed Movement party that eventually carried him to the presidency.

The ticket of Movement for the Liberation of Peoples was not registered due to "legal problems" of the vice-presidential candidate Jordán Rodas;[25] while Roberto Arzú's candidacy was revoked for allegedly carrying out "anticipated campaigning".[25] Presidential candidate Edmond Mulet was denounced by the Public Prosecution Service for three consecutive days.

The first complaint he received was for having spoken out against the investigation of the nine journalists during the Zamora trial, while the other two were for allegedly engaging in "anticipated campaigning" for which reason Mulet's participation is uncertain.[26][27] The Supreme Court of Justice rejected the challenge, however, on 11 May, the Public Prosecution Service challenged Mulet's candidacy before the Constitutional Court.[28]

On 21 March , the Electoral Tribunal announced that it had rejected the candidacy of the party Commitment, Renewal and Order due to "legal problems" of presidential candidate Francisco Arredondo.[29] The political party filed a legal appeal to backwards the decision of the electoral court, finally, the magistrates standard the appeal and registered Arredondo as a presidential candidate.[30] The candidacies presented by the Opportunities and Development Party were annulled for not correctly carrying out their nomination assemblies.[31]

Cabal[32] and the URNG–Winaq coalition[33] challenged the candidacy of Zury Ríos before the Registry of Citizens, stating that the Constitution prevented her from running for the presidency because she is the daughter of former president Efraín Ríos Montt who came to power through a coup.

Although the appeals were dismissed, Cabal also challenged before the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court but they were rejected and Ríos's candidacy remained firm.[32][34]

Todos challenged the candidacy of Sandra Torres before the Registry of Citizens, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Constitutional Court, affirming that Romeo Guerra, Torres's nominee for vice president, had a constitutional impediment, since the Constitution prevents ministers of worship to running for president and vice president and Guerra was an evangelical pastor before becoming Torres's running mate.

The process was rejected by the Electoral Registry and the Supreme Court of Justice.[35][36] Finally, the Constitutional Court rejected the legal challenge and Torres's candidacy was maintained.[37]

In May , Change challenged the candidacy of Carlos Pineda before the Supreme Court of Justice.

The legal filing claimed that there were "irregularities" in the nomination assemblies of Citizen Prosperity.[38] On 19 May, a judge recognized the legal appeal presented, so Carlos Pineda's candidacy was annulled, along with other candidates for deputies and mayors from Citizen Prosperity.[39][40] On 9 June, a court accepted a legal appeal filed by the Secretary-General of Citizen Prosperity Lilian Piedad García and ordered the registration of lists for candidates for deputies in eleven departments, however, the presidential ticket, the candidates for deputies by National List, the Central District, the Central American Parliament and the other eleven departments, and mayoral candidates remained out of contention.[41] On 11 June, the Constitutional Court revoked the legal recourse granted to the party and ordered the Public Prosecution Service to examine the court that issued the recourse.[42]

The opposition party Semilla has alleged "irregularities" in a case against it for allegedly forging the signature of a party affiliate.

Topic: World Politics. Bernardo Arevalo waves after voting in the run-off presidential election in Guatemala City. AP: Moises Castillo. Preliminary results show Bernardo Arevalo has been elected Guatemalan president — a victory many voters hope will reverse widespread allegations of corruption and the authoritarianism of previous administrations.

The file was transferred from the Electoral Crimes Prosecutor's Office to the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity led by Curruchiche. Presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo said that these actions put the party's electoral participation at risk.[43] Deputy Samuel Pérez Álvarez alleged "partiality" on the part of the judicial authorities.

He also indicated that in , the Registry of Citizens detected alleged anomalies in almost 12, signatures of members of the Progressive Liberator Party (now Valor) and the process has not advanced.[44][45]

The opposition party Will, Opportunity and Solidarity led by presidential candidate Manuel Villacorta was denounced for allegedly falsifying affiliate signatures in May Villacorta has previously denounced "systematic attacks" to curb his party's participation.[46][47]

Campaign

Results from the Latinobarómetro survey indicated that Guatemala had one of the lowest levels of have faith and support for democracy in the region among the electorate: only 37% of citizens considered democracy to be preferable to any other form of government, and 65% were not satisfied with how it operated in Guatemala.

In terms of political rights, only 9% of Guatemalans considered that their right to participate in political life is fully guaranteed. The atmosphere of optimism for change that had been present for the elections in had faded by [48]

Of the million registered citizens aged between 18 and 30, only million were on the electoral roll and eligible to vote in [48]

A substantial number of candidates ran a right-wing campaign, highlighting their attachment to religious values and the defence of private property, as well as their opposition to the legalisation of abortion.

Alejandro Giammattei Vamos. General elections were held in Guatemala on 25 June to elect the president and vice presidentall seats in Congressall 20 members of the Central American Parliamentand mayors and councils for all the country's municipalities. Incumbent president Alejandro Giammattei was constitutionally prohibited from running for a second four-year term. The certification of the first round results by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal was delayed after the Constitutional Court granted an injunction to parties who challenged the results.

In particular, the security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele were held up as an example to follow. The Evangelical churches continue to have a major influence on political experience, having participated in the selection of Supreme Court and Constitutional Court judges, among other things.

During the final debate of the campaign, the discussions focused in particular on gay marriage, while the issue of poverty, which affects at least 54% of the population, was ignored. On the contrary, "the discourse and ideas of the left have disappeared from the debate", due to the elimination of the most popular left-wing candidates by the electoral authorities.[49]

The three favourites in the election (Ríos, Torres, and Mulet) made extensive use of clientelist practices.

People who came to their meetings were offered various gifts, even a sum of money in the case of Ríos. Political party activists circulate among the ranks, taking down the names and addresses of those display as "primary beneficiaries" in the event of their candidate's victory.

Bernardo Arevalo: Anti-corruption leader wins Guatemala election: General elections were held in Guatemala on 25 June to elect the president and vice president, all seats in Congress, all 20 members of the Central American Parliament, and mayors and councils for all the country's municipalities.

Vote buying is a common training in Guatemalan elections and often goes unpunished.[49]

After proceeding to the run-off, Torres focused on winning over conservative voters, particularly supporters of Ríos.

Torres expressed her opposition to same-sex marriage and instead promoted family values.[50] She accused Semilla of being a "socialist" and "communist" party.[51] She accused her second round opponent, Arévalo, of being a puppet of both former attorney general Thelma Aldana and Colombian defense minister Iván Velásquez.

Aldana and Velásquez together had investigated corruption cases in Guatemala for the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. Political analyst Luis Mack noted that Torres's attacks against Arévalo were an appeal to religious conservatives and the far-right, both of which opposed anti-corruption efforts and foreign interference in Guatemala.[50] Torres also accused Arévalo of wanting to expropriate intimate property and end religious liberty in favor of an "LGBT ideology".[51]

Fraud allegations

Some political parties and their presidential candidates such as Amílcar Rivera (Victory),[52] Arévalo (Semilla)[52] and Manuel Villacorta (Will, Opportunity and Solidarity)[53] openly expressed the possibility of electoral fraud.

On behalf of the United States, we again congratulate Bernardo Arévalo on his election as the next president of Guatemala, as confirmed by the vote results certified on August We salute the people of Guatemala for making their voices heard, and we applaud the many officials and volunteers whose dedication made these elections possible.

Adding to these denunciations were the excluded presidential candidates Thelma Cabrera (Movement for the Liberation of Peoples),[54]Roberto Arzú (Podemos)[53] and Pineda (Citizen Prosperity),[55] the last of whom saw a steep rise in opinion polls in April , placing him within the highest three finishers.[56]

Journalist Andrés Oppenheimer compared the electoral fraud accusations in Guatemala to Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the United States presidential election.[57]

Electoral system

The President of Guatemala is elected using the two-round system.[58]

Congress

The members of Congress are elected by two methods; are elected from 22 multi-member constituencies based on the departments, with the remaining 31 elected from a single nationwide constituency.

Seats are elected using closed listproportional visibility, with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method.[58]

Presidential candidates

Rejected

Declined

Parties

The following political parties did not run for a presidential ticket, but did run candidates for deputies and mayors.

Individuals

  • Alfonso Alonso, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (–) (National Convergence Front)[87]
  • Marcos Antil, immigrant rights activist (Will, Opportunity and Solidarity)[88][89]
  • Manuel Baldizón, member of Congress (–) (Change) (running for re-election)[90]
  • Neto Bran, Mayor of Mixco (–present) (Guatemalan People's Party) (running for re-election)[91][92][93]
  • Juan Carlos Eggenberger, businessman (Together) (running for Mayor of Guatemala City for National Advancement Party)[87]
  • Javier Hernández, member of Congress (–present) (National Convergence Front) (running for re-election)[94]
  • Antonio Malouf, Minister of Economy (–) (Humanist Party of Guatemala/Citizen Prosperity)[95]
  • Jordán Rodas, Ombudsman (–) (Semilla–Winaq–URNG) (running for Vice President for Movement for the Liberation of Peoples)[96][81]

Congress