2023-07-14 21:25:34
The judicial orders of the Public Ministry of Guatemala that sought to suspend the legal personality of the Seed Movement, the party that promotes the candidacy of the leftist Bernardo Arévalo, who managed against all odds to advance to the second presidential round in Guatemala, and who had left in suspense his presence in the second round.
The country’s Constitutional Court suspended Semilla’s disqualification in response to a provisional amparo filed by Arévalo, which sought to reverse the measure adopted on Wednesday by Judge Fredy Orellana.
The Court’s ruling is based on the fact that the electoral law of the Central American country prohibits this type of decision once the electoral process has begun. For this reason, despite the fact that Judge Orellana had said that the Prosecutor’s Office found irregularities in the creation of the party, the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Irma Palencia, said that “the elections are being guaranteed and we do not have any obstacles to carry out the second round on August 20.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in fact, published this July 14 the agreement in which it declares the validity of the election of last June 25 and calls for the ballot on August 20 between the former first lady Sandra Torres and Bernardo Arévalo, eliminating the uncertainty of whether the elections will finally take place.
Almost in parallel, the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office issued a statement stating that its actions are not intended to “interfere in the second round or disqualify the participation of any candidate.”
Semilla’s disqualification had sparked protests in Guatemala and criticism from the United States, Guatemalan business leaders, the Catholic Church, the European Union, the UN, and Chile.
“It is imperative to respect the decision of the highest electoral entity and the will of Guatemalans expressed at the polls,” declared the Coordinating Committee of Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations (CACIF) in a statement. “We demand that the result of the elections be respected. […] and that the second round be held on August 20» with Torres and Arévalo, indicated the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala in a press release.
This Friday, the Prosecutor’s Office met with the Metropolitan Archbishop of Guatemala, Gonzalo de Villa, to “show him that the Public Ministry is a serious, responsible institution that will always act in accordance with the law,” he said in a statement.
The United States, which sanctioned prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche several years ago for corruption, had said it was “deeply concerned” about the actions of the Public Ministry, and the European Union criticized the official because “in the middle of the electoral process he threatens one of the basic foundations of democracy, respect for the popular will expressed at the polls.
The Seed Movement has also taken legal action against prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche and judge Fredy Orellana.
Juan Gerardo Guerrero, on behalf of the political party, explained that “the appeals for replacement are mainly focused on demonstrating the arbitrariness committed by the judge, and there are also a series of principles and guarantees that the Political Constitution grants to the parties within of an accusatory and non-inquisitive system”.
Arévalo’s vice-presidential candidate, chemist and university professor with no political experience, Karin Herrera, said that they will resume the electoral campaign because “elections are won at the polls and not in court.” She affirmed that “those who have power and do not want to accept the result” are responsible for the electoral crisis unleashed in recent weeks.
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