Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
.jpg)
.jpg)
November 7, 2011: Former general and founder of the Patriot Party (PP), Otto Pérez Molina, 61, won the presidency of the Republic in the second round of elections on Sunday, November 6th. His running mate, Roxana Baldetti, will become the first woman to be elected vice president of Guatemala. Pérez Molina received 54.16 percent of the popular vote, defeating Manuel Baldizón, of the Renewed Democratic Freedom Party (Líder), with 45.84 percent. The majority of Patriot Party supporters are located in the capital city, where 25% of registered voters reside and where Perez Molina received an overwhelming 65.99% of the vote. There were no incidents reported by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in the five municipalities where mayoral elections were repeated yesterday.
International coverage of Guatemala’s Sunday election results focused heavily on Otto Perez Molina’s ‘iron fist’ political approach, the increasing violence in Guatemala, occurrences of electoral violence and voter fraud, and the worrisome accusations brought forward by human rights defenders and organizations.Two Wall Street Journal articles published the day before the election detail the controversial investigations into Perez Molina’s involvement in the capture, torture and murder of Efrain Bamaca and his ties to the many disappearances that occurred in the Nebaj region during the armed conflict.
_____________________________________
September 28, 2011: Sixteen days after the presidential elections, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal officially finalized the results, urging the citizens to uphold the state of law, tolerance and respect for the diversity of politics. The president of the Tribunal, Maria Eugenia Villagran, stated that ‘Guatemala deserves peace and democracy—irregularities should be resolved through sanctions regulated by the law, not through de facto means.’ She also called on the presidential candidates to cooperate in the upcoming November 6th elections to ensure a smooth and legitimate electoral process. The TSE called for repeat elections in five municipalities in Santa Rosa, Quiche, Peten, Izabal and Huehuetenango due to irregularities.
_____________________________________
September 11, 2011: Local and national news coverage of Election Day.
· La Prensa reports that with 95% of the votes in from the Elections Sunday that Otto Pérez Molina with 36% of the votes and Manuel Baldizón with 23.49% of the votes will go on to the second round on November 6th.
· Observers from the Organization of American States criticize the TSE for their slow transmission of election results.
· The major irregularities denounced by electoral observers were intimidation, the buying of votes, voter transfers and slowness at the polls on election day.
· Civic celebrations were disrupted in some electoral districts where they burned their ballots and voting centers were closed. The major incidents occurred in Xejup, Nahualá, Sololá where 123 ballots were burned. Other violence was reported in San José Pinula and Tiquisate, Escuintla.
· La Isla de Flores where there is word of Campañas negras, the students along with the Association of students stand against voting for the military carrying papers that say “1962-1996 669 Massacres, Made in Guatemala.” They do this in memory of a student assassinated in 1978. Though they explain that Baldizón is no better an option. When the students denounced Baldizón who appropriated public land for a million dollar shopping center, they were sent to prison in Péten between one month and one year’s time.
· There is revolution on the horizon in San Juan Sacatepéquez where in January they created a program to orientate all the people that had never voted in their entire lives. It is a revolution of political structure and procedure which seeks to include and represent all citizens. The revolution is led by Winaq, the political party of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú.
· Alvaro Arzú, of the Partido Unionista (PU), was re-elected mayor of Guatemala City for the fourth time and the third time in a row. Arzu first held the position between 1986 and 1990 and was re-elected in 2004 and again in 2008.
· In Salamá, the capital city of Baja Verapaz, Byron Tejada of the Partido Patriota was elected mayor with approximately 66% of the vote. The PP took the mayor’s office in five other municipalities in Baja Verapaz—San Jeronimo, Rabinal, Cubulco, Santa Cruz el Chol, and Granados.
· Community members in Sechaj, Rarxuha voted for the first time on Sunday. In the past, voting centers have been located outside of the community, making it expensive and time-consuming to travel to vote. Plaza Publica covers the story in more historical and contextual depth.
· Disturbances were reported in the municipality of Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Santa Rosa on Sunday night. A group of armed men broke into various education centers and burned electoral ballot boxes, leaving several wounded. Incidents were also reported in Magdalena Milpas Altas in Sacatepequez; San José, Petén, and Tiquisate, Escuintla. Preliminary reports show that the attacks in Santa Rosa were connected to the losing mayoral candidate from the UNE-Gana coalition, Julio Muñoz.
· Contrary to expectations, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) delayed counting municipal votes, possibly in an effort to prevent disruptions and incidents due to the results.
· According to political scientist Roberto Tepaz Lopez, the first priority of recently elected mayors and representatives throughout Guatemala should be to begin negotiations and alliances with their bases and opposition parties so as to assure unified control of the government.
· More citizens voted in the municipality of San Pedro la Laguna than any other in Guatemala yesterday, with 9 out of every 10 sampedrandos voting. Four years ago, San Pedro elected an evangelical, born-again Christian who transformed the municipality from a liberal, tolerant, and touristic place to one of the most restrictive and conservative regions in the country. According to Prensa Libre, the Partido Patriota candidate was elected mayor of San Pedro la Laguna, marking a possible move away from the extreme conservatism of the previous mayor.
· All of the information disseminated about Sunday’s election in Guatemala was published only in Spanish, making it difficult for indigenous populations to participate in the election. Confusion was common in three voting centers in San Jose Poaquil, Chimaltenango, where 95% of the population is kaqchikel. Thirty student volunteers from the Intercultural Bilingual Institute of San Jose Poaquil were present to help facilitate the process.
· Siglo 21 published a helpful summary of updates and results in the majority of departments in Guatemala.
· It appears that, for the most part, elections went fairly smoothly throughout Guatemala on Sunday, despite fears of violence and attacks. La Hora reports few incidents beyond long lines and minor inconveniences in San Marcos, Granadas, Santa Cruz el Chol, Quetzaltenango, Coban, Izabal, and Quiche.
_____________________________________
September 11, 2011: International new coverage of Election Day.
· Otto Perez Molina finished first in Sunday’s election, but will still face a runoff in November. Perez played major roles in Guatemala’s bloody civil war and has promised to crack down on violent gangs and drug cartels with ‘iron fist’ policies. While Election Day was less marred by violence than in 2007, many local and legislative candidates were killed during the campaign. Voters are drawn to Perez’s aggressive and militaristic approach to fighting the increasing infiltration of organized crime groups in Guatemala—‘people want order,’ according to Cynthia Arnson, an expert at the Woodrow Wilson Center. The second place candidate, Baldizon is also focusing heavily on a tough approach to violence and organized crime, highlighting the importance of the issue to the Guatemalan people.
· The Guatemala Times published an English translation of the lengthy Plaza Publica profile of Otto Perez Molina—his political history, the accusations against him, his involvement in the armed conflict and the peace accords, and his recent campaign.
· Al-Jazeera investigates corruption of presidential campaign financing as the traditional oligarchy fights to ‘maintain its privileged position against an increasingly powerful narco elite.’ According to the analysis, Perez has accepted payments from four of the richest families in Guatemala and has been linked to drug traffickers for years. Manuel Baldizon, the second-place candidate, has apparently offered payments to members of congress for support and has relationships with people accused of political murders and drug trafficking. In some ways, the elite financed and created the seeds of its own demise by establishing the Kaibiles Special Forces, eventually contributing to the rise of the Zetas drug cartel.
· The Economist provides an in-depth analysis of Otto Perez Molina and the potential problems which could stem from his mano dura policies.
· According to Americas Quarterly, if Otto Perez Molina wins the presidential runoff in November, it would not only mark the first ex-general to take the executive office but also presents the potential for the country’s first female vice-president.
· The New York Times published a front-page story on Saturday covering the ‘desperate’ state of Guatemala and the drive to elect a hard-line, ex-military president. Rights Action analyzes the article, revealing some misleading inconsistencies and inaccuracies.
_____________________________________August 24, 2011: Activists fear return to 'mano dura' policies. Activists in Guatemala are alarmed at the prospect of a victory by the right in the September general elections, recalling the dismal records of past regimes in the areas of human rights, the economy and justice. [IPS]
_____________________________________
July 29, 2011: TSE registers thee presidential tickets. The head of the TSE finalized the registration yesterday for the presidential candidacy of Rigoberta Menchú, Adela de Torrebiarte, and Alejandro Giammattei. This brings the total number of candidate parties up to nine. [Siglo XXI]
_____________________________________
July 13, 2011: Official deadline for registration of candidates has passed. The deadline for registration was midnight on July 12, but candidates for the September elections have until July 31 to correct any of their documentation and the field is not yet finalized. There are still a number of candidates, among them Sandra Torres of the UNE party and Harold Cabelleros of the Viva- EG coalition, who are currently in a process in the courts to be allowed to legalize their candidacies. [El Periodico]
_____________________________________
July 12, 2011: Gap between Pérez and Torres increases to 30.9%. The Patriot Party candidate Otto Pérez Molina had 44.2% of the votes and Sandra Torres took 13.3% of the votes according to the July poll taken by Siglo XXI and Vox Latina. In third place remains a group including Suger, Cabelleros, and Baldizón in a virtual tie. [Siglo XXI]
_____________________________________
July 12, 2011: Presidential tickets for Lider and Creo parties registered. Eduardo Suger and his vice presidential candidate Laura Reyes were officially registered as the presidential ticket for the Creo party. The Lider ticket with candidate Manuel Baldizón also gained acceptance.
[La Hora]_____________________________________
July 11, 2011:Torres insists on additional measure before the Supreme Court. The UNE-Gana alliance presented a new measure Saturday before the Supreme Court to secure the registration of Sandra Torres, while beneficiaries of the Bolsas Solidarias participated in a hunger strike in support of Torres' campaign. [Siglo XXI]
_____________________________________
July 11, 2011:The Supreme Electoral Tribunal reiterates the rejection of the candidacy of Harold Cabelleros. The Viva party was notified yesterday of the rejection of the motion to reverse the decision made by the courts last week that their presidential candidate Harold Cabelleros is not eligible to run for President. The decision was made on the basis that a minister of any religious affiliation cannot run for public office. [El Periodico]
_____________________________________
July 8, 2011: Controversial Injunction in favor of Sandra Torres. The UNE-Gana coalition asked for a waiver in the Supreme Corut so that Sandra Torres could register as a presidential candidate, and yesterday the first court of appeals gave a controversial resolution that will allow her to run. [Siglo XXI]
_____________________________________
July 8, 2011: CC summons Alvaro Colom and Carlos Menocal for violence. The Constitutional Court gave 48 hours for President Alvaro Colom and Minister of the Interior Carlos Menocal to deliver a detailed report of the measures and actions taken by the government to neutralize the political violence that exists in the country. [Prensa Libre]
_____________________________________
July 7, 2011: Citizen registry rejects registration of Harold Cabelleros. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal rejected Cabelleros' bid for the presidency on the basis of Article 186 Part F of the constitution, which states that ministers of any religious affiliation cannot run for public office. [El Periodico]
_____________________________________
July 6, 2011: Mayoral candidate arrested. The Mayoral candidate of the Lider party, Luis Fernando Marroquín, and his brother in law, Manuel Enrique Rodas García, were both arrested yesterday for the murders of two mayoral candidates of San José Pinula. [El Periodico]
_____________________________________
June 30, 2011: 28 deaths counted in the election context. The Viva party became the 5th party yesterday to suffer the murder of one of their candidates with the death of Pablo Matías. All of the deaths have been of local candidates. [El Periodico]
Home | Site Map | Contact Us
3321 12th Street NE, Washington, DC 20017
This site is maintained by the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA
as a means of informing the general public of the Commission's work
on behalf of the people of Guatemala
