LatAm in Focus: Guatemala's Electoral Crossroads
LatAm in Focus: Guatemala's Electoral Crossroads
Veteran journalist Juan Luis Font of ConCriterio covers who’s in—and out—of the race, democratic hurdles, and voter worries ahead of the June 25 election.
When Guatemalans vote for their next president on June 25, they will get the chance to choose from nearly two dozen names. But three notable aspirants won’t be on the ballot: conservative outsider and poll frontrunner Carlos Pineda, indigenous leader Thelma Cabrera, and the fson of a former president Roberto Arzú. With all three eliminated from the competition by the country’s courts, they are urging Guatemalans to void their ballots and calling their disqualifications “electoral fraud.”
On June 25, voters will pick from a wide field of candidates to replace President Alejandro Giammattei. But some top contenders have been disqualified.
“There are three [contenders] that might be very dangerous for those who are governing right now. And these are the three who have been eliminated,” says Juan Luis Font, an award-winning Guatemalan journalist with over three decades experience at outlets such as Canal Antigua, Revista ContraPoder, Emisoras Unidas, and the recently shuttered elPeriódico. Although Font continues to cover his country’s political scene from the United States with ConCriterio, he is among the dozens of Guatemalan journalists, prosecutors, and judges forced into exile in recent years amid a backlash against anti-corruption efforts.
What Font and others have faced reflects a difficult moment for Guatemalan democracy—that coincides with this round of elections. Voters, who will select a replacement for current President Alejandro Giammattei as well as all 160 legislators, are also largely pessimistic: 83 percent say the country’s general situation has worsened over the past three years, and only 16 percent trust the electoral tribunal.
Voters will have to pick from nearly two dozen candidates in the June 25 first-round vote. AS/COA Online covers polling and top issues.
AS/COA covered votes in the Americas, from presidential elections to referendums.
