Jan 15 Who is Guatemala’s new president and can he deliver on his anti-corruption promises? By Associated Press Powerful interests aligned against his anti-corruption campaign and authorities threw various legal challenges at him and his party. Arévalo is now president but those disputes will continue. Continue reading
Jan 14 Frustrated Guatemalans protest congressional delay of president-elect’s inauguration By Sonia Pérez D., Associated Press Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo waited to be sworn into office Sunday as the old-guard Congress dawdled and delayed the inauguration, sparking angry protests by demonstrators tired of months-long attempts to keep him from taking office. Continue reading
Sep 21 Guatemalans rally on behalf of president-elect, demonstrating a will to defend democracy By Sonia Pérez D., Christopher Sherman, Associated Press Protests by thousands of Guatemalans this week supporting President-elect Bernardo Arévalo suggest that the efforts by some officials to derail his presidency have awakened a new will among many citizens to defend democracy. Continue reading
Sep 12 Guatemalan authorities raid electoral facilities, open boxes of votes By Sonia Pérez D., Associated Press The raid was apparently part of some of the various ongoing investigations related to the national elections that culminated last month in the election of Bernardo Arévalo. Continue reading
Aug 30 Guatemala’s president-elect and his anti-corruption party faces legal challenges. Here’s what’s happening By Sonia Pérez D., Associated Press Guatemala's election has been bogged down in court and legal challenges despite the fact the results were clear: Progressive candidate Bernardo Arévalo won about 61 percent of the vote to conservative Sandra Torres' 39 percent. Continue reading
Aug 29 Guatemalan president calls for democratic transition of power amid legal attacks on rising anti-corruption party By Sonia Pérez D., Megan Janetsky, Associated Press Hours before the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified late Monday that Arévalo won this month's presidential runoff election, the countrys electoral registry suspended his party from all political activities. Continue reading
Aug 21 Watch 7:49 How an anti-corruption outsider triumphed in Guatemala’s presidential election By Nick Schifrin, Dan Sagalyn and Sarah Cutler, Columbia Journalism Fellow This weekend the results of two Latin American elections seem to reflect a desire for democratic change. In Ecuador, a millennial entrepreneur will face the establishment leftist candidate in a runoff and Guatemalans elected an anti-corruption politician who overcame establishment… Continue watching
Aug 21 Guatemalans elect progressive new president, who faces challenges to his party’s legal status By Christopher Sherman, Sonia Pérez, Associated Press Despite preliminary results showing a potential landslide for anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arévalo, the attention immediately turned to whether he would be allowed to assume power. The current administration's attempts to suspend his party’s legal status are ongoing. Continue reading
Jul 24 Guatemalans protest interference by court, prosecutors in August’s election By Associated Press Hundreds of Guatemalans demonstrated Monday to protest interference by courts and prosecutors against a progressive candidate's participation in August’s second-round presidential election. Continue reading
May 26 Guatemala’s top court ends candidacy of another presidential hopeful 1 month before the vote By Associated Press Guatemala's top court has blocked the candidacy of yet another presidential hopeful, this time ending the campaign of poll leader Carlos Pineda for alleged violations of electoral law. Pineda is the third presidential candidate ruled ineligible. Continue reading