2023-07-14 11:52:00
Seed Movement presidential candidate Bernardo Arvalo hugs electoral observers from his party in Guatemala City, Guatemala, on July 6, 2023. Esteban Biba | EFE
The Public Prosecutor’s Office can continue with the actions that are incumbent upon it in matters of criminal prosecution.
14 jul 2023 . Updated at 11:54 a.m.
The full magistrates of the Constitutional Court (CC) of Guatemala announced this Thursday that has granted provisional protection to the Movimiento Semilla partyhalting the suspension of his legal personality, one day after a judge, at the request of the Prosecutor, gave said order alleging an alleged crime of laundering money or other assets.
The court has explained in a statement that it has agreed to the request for provisional protection made by the affected political party. Therefore, the decision of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) regarding the officialization of the results of the first round of the elections is not suspended and the second round will take place on the indicated date and with the participation of the candidates. officialized.
Likewise, it has indicated that this measure affects the electoral process, but that the Public Prosecutor’s Office can continue with the actions that are its responsibility in terms of criminal prosecution.
The leaders of the Seed Movement have said that this amparo is due to the fact that the CC considers that the resolution of the magistrate It is illegalindicating that they exceeded their powers and acted outside the framework of legality, breaking the constitutional order.
The Seed Movement candidate, Bernardo Arvalo, and his ‘number two’, Karin Herrera, announced shortly before the presentation of the amparo before the CC and a complaint against the special prosecutor against impunity, Rafael Curruchiche, for prevarication and other abuses, before the Public Ministry, where sympathizers have demonstrated in support of the party leaders.
See you shortly in front of the Public Ministry to present the complaint together to preserve the institutionality of the country. Democracy is prevailing today and will prevail tomorrow, Arvalo has pointed out through his profile on the social network Twitter.
Government support for the TSE
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has shown his support for the TSE’s decision to make the results of the first round official. The Executive Branch will provide all the necessary guarantees stipulated in the Electoral and Political Parties Law for the development of the second electoral round, scheduled for next August 20, he said.
According to a government statement, they are respectful of the rule of law and the independence of powers within the system, emphasizing that they stay away from any judicial process.
They have also reiterated the support and accompaniment of the Government to the political formation that obtains victory in the elections to facilitate an orderly, transparent and efficient transition process, for the benefit of strengthening democracy.
The US advocates that the will of the people be respected
The US Department of State has shown its concern about the political situation in Guatemala, indicating that it takes note of the wide range of voices in Guatemalan society that have expressed concern that the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office violate the electoral law of the Central American country.
These actions put at risk the legitimacy of the electoral process in Guatemalan democracy, which must be promoted and defended in accordance with the Constitution and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, denounced the Department’s spokesman, Matthew Miller, in a statement.
Thus, he has stressed that the will of the Guatemalan people, expressed through the results of the June 25 elections, must be respected. Miller has also held the certification of the results, which confirm the credibility and integrity of the electoral process most observed in the history of Guatemala.
This should lay the groundwork for a free and fair second round of elections on August 20 between the two presidential candidates who received the most votes in the first round, Sandra Torres of the Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE) party and Bernardo Arvalo of the Seed party, has asserted.
When the prosecutor released the news of the suspension order, the TSE magistrates were in a meeting, reporting minutes after the results were made official and unaware of the scope of the party’s suspension. With this decision, Arvalo’s participation in the second round was up in the air.
The candidate of the leftist party, Bernardo Arvalo, gave the surprise in the presidential elections of Guatemalaby being in second place, behind Sandra Torres, from the National Unity of Hope (UNE), one of the favorites in the elections. The polls placed the Seed Movement, one of the few options on the left among the twenty proposals that were presented, between the seventh and eighth preference of the electorate.
Filed in: Guatemala
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