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Guatemala: A Strategy to Protect Bernardo Arévalo

By Stephen G. McFarland

International support will be key to ensuring Guatemala’s president-elect takes office, despite corrupt forces working against him.

They still haven’t given up: Parts of Guatemala’s political establishment continue to try to stop Bernardo Arévalo, who was democratically elected in August, from taking office on January 14. The recent raid of an electoral court highlights how coordinated domestic and international action will be needed in coming weeks to ensure nothing less than the survival of Guatemala’s democracy. Arévalo’s promises to reduce corruption and resume meaningful anti-corruption investigations have generated strong pushback from a variety of undemocratic political and business interests seeking...

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