Democracy in Guatemala must be defended

Since its inception following the final signing of the Peace Accords in December 1996, democracy in Guatemala has been weak and vulnerable. In recent years, this vulnerability has been exacerbated by the emergence of a power bloc that has gradually co-opted every branch of the state. This hegemonic group brings together business interests, public officials enriched through corruption and drug trafficking, and a neo-fascist far right that is the dominant right wing in the country. This group has been popularly dubbed the “Pact of the Corrupt.”

On June 25, in the presidential elections, this group suffered a defeat in its plans to remain in power when Bernardo Arévalo de León and his party, Movimiento Semilla, secured second place, thus advancing to the runoff election scheduled for August 20. Since then, the “Pact of the Corrupt” has relentlessly sought legal loopholes to prevent Arévalo and his party from advancing.
participate in the second round of elections.

Several parties belonging to the criminal alliance that governs Guatemala challenged the election results and succeeded in having them reviewed. When the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) upheld the results, the Guatemalan government, through the Attorney General's Office, filed an appeal to annul the legal status of the Semilla Movement. This appeal failed because the TSE, through the Citizen Registry, rejected the attempt to disqualify the movement. Now, the Attorney General's Office has launched a campaign of harassment, beginning with raids on the offices of the TSE, the Citizen Registry, and the Semilla Movement headquarters. It has also filed lawsuits against the Director of the Citizen Registry, who has been forced to flee the country, as well as against his replacement and several leaders of the Semilla Movement. Now, it seeks to create the conditions to prosecute Bernardo Arévalo himself, in flagrant violation of the law that grants him immunity as a presidential candidate.

El CLACSO Working Group on Violence in Central America This statement denounces the attempts by the criminal alliance governing Guatemala to disregard the election results, which could even lead to a coup d'état or actions that compromise the physical safety of Bernardo Arévalo and other candidates of the Semilla Movement. It also demands that the Guatemalan government fully respect democracy in the country and guarantee the legal and physical safety of Bernardo Arévalo, the members of the Semilla Movement, and all those mobilizing in the streets in defense of citizens' rights.

July 26, 2023
CLACSO Working Group
Violence in Central America

This text expresses the position of the aforementioned Working Group and not necessarily that of the centers and institutions that make up the CLACSO international network, its Steering Committee or its Executive Secretariat.