Roman Gressier and Julie López write in El Faro about the State’s attempt to discredit the results of the first round of the presidential, the Movimiento Semilla party and the second place candidate who should go on to contest the run-off later thie month. The State has looked to use the co-opted courts to do their bidding and article paints a fascinating picture of lawfare, as practiced in Guatemala.
As night fell over Guatemala City on Wednesday, July 12, dozens of demonstrators had gathered in front of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). The institution had stalled for over two hours a press conference to announce the certification of the national election results tallied on June 25. After 5 p.m., the Public Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público, or MP) interrupted the affair with an announcement on social media that they had secured a court order to suspend the legal incorporation of Semilla, the party of presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo, under accusations of falsifying signatures in the creation of the party in 2017 and even of alleged money laundering. The move seeks to annul Arévalo’s candidacy in the August 20 run-off against Sandra Torres of the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party.
But at 6:30, the TSE began its conference and certified the results, convening Semilla to the run-off. Irma Palencia, president of the Tribunal, said that the court had not notified them of any action against the party. The Central American country is now locked in conflicting legal arguments between a broad spectrum of legal analysts who assert that the order violates electoral law prohibiting the suspension of a party with elections in full swing, while those close to the prosecutors counter that, in the case of an alleged crime, a judge does have the power.
These actions have deepened the uncertainties surrounding an election that has become a magnet for international condemnations of procedural irregularities facilitated by courts’ heavy hand. Among them are the exclusion of popular candidates, reports of bribery by President Alejandro Giammattei to the TSE, and unfounded allegations of “fraud” in first-round voting.
You can read the full piece, with links and photos, as well as a link to the Spanish version, here, Criminal Court Intervenes in Guatemalan Election Five Weeks before Run-Off.
Categories: Corruption, Criminalisation, Guatemala, Human Rights, Impunity, Justice, Legal, Presidential Elections
Guatemala Solidarity Network 
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