Yuliana Ramazzini writes in El Faro English of the fracturing of Movimiento Semilla, the party of Bernardo Arévalo, and talks with Social anthropologist Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj, a Maya K’iche’ social anthropologist who participated more than a decade ago in… Read More ›
Movimiento Semilla
Guatemala’s New Anti-Monopoly Law: Bark or Bite?
In December, two-thirds of Congress approved an anti-monopoly law proposed by legislators aligned with President Bernardo Arévalo, marking a significant improvement of their negotiating power in the legislature while sparking debate over whether the new rules will in fact curb… Read More ›
Inexperience, Lawfare, and Online Image Sway Arévalo’s Decisions
After almost nine months in office, Bernardo Arévalo’s decisions regarding his cabinet have shown that they did not really expect to govern. Yuliana Ramazzini writes in El Faro English on the difficulties that the government of Bernardo Arévalo continues to… Read More ›
Arévalo’s Reform Bill to Sack Consuelo Porras Stalls in Gridlocked Congress
Roman Gressier wrote in El Faro English, in May, of the challenges facing the Bernardo Arévalo in seeking to remove Consuelo Porras as the Attorney General. Time was indeed of the essence on Monday, May 6, when Guatemalan President Bernardo… Read More ›
Indigenous Leaders in Guatemala Are Camping Out to Prevent Post-Election Coup
Sandra Cuffe writes in Truthout on the dynamic mobilisations of Indigenous peoples in support of democracy in the face of corruption. The aroma of coffee wafts out from a communal kitchen tent at a Guatemala City protest encampment where people… Read More ›
Can Guatemalans Save Their Democracy?
Graciela Mochkofsky writes in The New Yorker on the current challenges facing Guatemala and democracy and posing that question. Guatemala’s President-elect Bernardo Arévalo, who won a landslide victory in August, is scheduled to take office on January 14th, but nobody… Read More ›
Guatemala’s Progressive President-Elect Will Face an Uphill Battle
In Guatemala, the historic victory of Bernardo Arévalo has unleashed the wrath of the country’s conservative elite. The coming months will prove crucial as Arévalo and progressive forces struggle to guarantee a peaceful democratic transition. Maya K’iche’ Guatemalan historian and… Read More ›
Guatemala’s president-elect warns of a coup
Filmmaker Judy Jackson writes in Latin America Bureau (LAB) on the recent elections and talks about the rise of Movimiento Semilla and the increasing use of lawfare against anti-corruption initiatives. Powerful politicians in Guatemala overlooked one tiny centre-left party when… 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 ›
Guatemalans Celebrate Return of “Democratic Spring” as Potential Violence Threatens Transition
Bernardo Arévalo won Guatemala’s runoff in a landslide but faces a troubled transition amid reported assassination plots and ongoing judicial maneuvers. Emily Taylor writes in NACLA on the ‘second Guatemalan spring’ and the challenges ahead. Guatemalans flocked to public squares… Read More ›
Guatemala Solidarity Network 