“I can not turn a deaf ear to the cries of a people who for centuries have demanded that their voice be heard.” In El Faro English, Roman Gressier talks with Cardinal Álvaro Ramazzini, the Bishop of Huehuetenango, in the… Read More ›
El Faro
A Besieged University Movement Joins the National Strike in Guatemala
Roman Gressier writes in El Faro English on the student movement and how they are trying to navigate the the national strike with what seems the open hostility of the university authorities. Just past nine on Friday night, some fifty… Read More ›
“Dialogue with Indigenous peoples must be part of the democratic springtime in Guatemala”
In El Faro English, Roman Gressier talks with the Huxi Hurak (president) of the Xinka Parliament, Aleisar Arana, in the midst of the national strike/blockade being carried out by, primarily, indigenous authorities across the country in opposition to the attempts… Read More ›
Guatemala Electoral Tribunal Certifies Arévalo Victory but Suspends His Party
On Monday the Supreme Electoral Tribunal both certified the victory of President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo and temporarily suspended his Semilla party, the latest in a chain of protracted legal battles leading up to inauguration on January 14. The party says it… Read More ›
Landslide Victory for Arévalo Rattles Political Mafias in Guatemala
Roman Gressier, Gabriel Labrador and José Luis Sanz write in El Faro English about Bernardo Arŕevalo’s landslide win and the challenges looming for both his party, Movimiento Semilla, and democracy in Guatemala in the face of challenges and attacks coming… Read More ›
“If I win the presidency there will be efforts to stop the transfer of power”
José Luis Sanz writes in El Faro about the fears that Bernardo Arévalo holds if he wins the upcoming run-off in the Guatemala presidential election. It is well known that dark forces collude in violence and corruption to destabilise the… Read More ›
Criminal Court Intervenes in Guatemalan Election Five Weeks before Run-Off
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… Read More ›
Pre- and Post-Election Machinations in Guatemala
Despite widespread attempts to manipulate the electoral system in favour of candidates alligned to agents of corruption (Los Corruptos), the Guatemala Presidential election threw up a major surprise. The two frontrunners turned out to be Sandra Torres, a former First-Lady… Read More ›
List of Presidential Candidates Unclear 24 Days before Guatemalan Elections
“The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has been co-opted by those imposing their own benefit.” Roman Gressier writes in El Faro English about the upcoming presidential elections in Guatemala. It does look as if the the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has decided… Read More ›
elPeriódico Forced to Close as Ninth Defense Attorney Takes on Zamora Case
Julie López and Roman Gressier write in El Faro about the ongoing attack against anti-corruption actors through the lens of the attack on the news outlet elPeriódico and its founder José Rubén Zamora. It is a cautionary tale but one… Read More ›