Politics

Guatemala: Court Allows Arévalo to Partake in Runoff

JUL 14 2023·Updated AUG 27

Story

Image credit: Padraic/Flickr [via Wikimedia Commons]

The Facts

Guatemala's Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that dark-horse candidate Bernardo Arévalo can take part in the presidential runoff vote next month, overturning an order that had thrown the nation into political turmoil a day earlier by suspending his party.
The Wall Street Journal
The ruling comes as his progressive Seed Movement, which received 12% of the votes in the elections on June 25, appealed against the disqualification and was granted a provisional injunction.
EL PAÍS English
Facing criticism from the US and EU for allegedly undermining democracy with the moves against the Seed Movement, the Attorney General's office stated on Friday that its probe into the party will continue as it's not intended to interfere with the vote.
Al Jazeera
Anti-graft prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche argues that the Seed Movement's registration in 2018 is void as thousands of people were allegedly falsely listed as its members and, therefore, must be suspended.
Barrons
A large number of null votes were reportedly cast in last month's presidential election, which allowed Arévalo to come second despite surveys suggesting that only right-wing candidates would advance to a runoff vote.
The Associated Press
The result of the first round of the presidential election was confirmed only on Wednesday, following a review ordered by the electoral court at the request of several parties, including the centrist UNE of frontrunner Sandra Torres and the conservative Vamos of outgoing Pres. Alejandro Giammattei.
Dw.Com

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Guatemala's deep-rooted political elite has been using its clout over the electoral and judicial system to disallow any candidate that potentially threatens the interests of the country's establishment to run for president this year, even if this means engaging in electoral fraud. The Electoral and Political Parties Law is clear when it establishes that no party can be suspended during the electoral period.

Peoples Dispatch

Establishment-critical narrative

For years, America's Deep State had meddled in Guatemala to advance its vile agenda, a harmful intromission of which local authorities recently became aware. Now that the country has broken free from Washington's control and has been promoting the rule of law, it's no surprise that the US Dept. of State is desperate to interfere in its internal affairs and influence its presidential election.