International
Guatemalans in the U.S. denounce bias in candidate registration in their country’s elections
March 18 |
Guatemalans in the United States are concerned about the transparency and credibility of the elections in their country, with only a few days left before the deadline to register to vote abroad, on March 25.
A little more than 100,000 Guatemalans in the U.S. could vote in the next general elections on June 25. But Carlos Lam, leader of the Guatemalans Without Borders Association, told the Voice of America that to date the number of his countrymen in the United States eligible to vote does not reach 100,000.
In Washington, a group of Guatemalans working to achieve a greater number of registrations met this week to fine tune details of the strategy of “mobilization” of their countrymen in the final stretch of registration in the metropolitan area of the U.S. capital.
Lam said that with the Platform of Guatemalans Abroad they have tried to increase the number of registered voters.
Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which is organizing the elections, plans to set up six voting centers in the U.S., and this will be the only country outside Guatemala where people can vote, Lam said.
The TSE has said that the process is progressing successfully and that thanks to the registration campaigns, inside and outside the country, “the registration of the registered population, as of March 12, is 9,206,866 citizens”.
Lam and other activists point out that the electoral process began to lose credibility due to alleged irregularities in the registration of candidates.
“We have seen with great concern the partiality of the TSE regarding the registration of candidates,” he said.
Lam pointed out that peasant leader Thelma Cabrera and former human rights ombudsman Jordán Rodas, two attractive figures among indigenous peoples and the opposition, “were denied participation as presidential candidates”.
Thelma Cabrera is an indigenous leader and human rights defender who with the Movement for the Liberation of the Peoples (MLP) won in the 2019 presidential elections more than 400,000 votes, 10% of the votes cast in the first round, which placed her in fourth position.
Jordan Rodas, who in August 2022 completed his mandate as Human Rights Ombudsman, joined the MLP as Cabrera’s running mate.
The binomial was rejected by the TSE in a first ruling on January 28. After a review and appeal before the Constitutional Court, it was rejected again.
The TSE has not given explanations about the refusal to register the candidates except for the “invalidity” in the validity of the termination of one of the candidates, which was promoted by one of the magistrates, local media reported.
The TSE did not respond to a request for comment from Voice of America on the candidate registrations.
Concerns about lack of transparency have permeated the citizenry, Lam explained, and residents abroad are following closely and there have been multiple protests against the TSE.
The platform of Guatemalans Abroad has denounced inconsistencies in the process, including the refusal to register certain candidates while others, including questionable figures, have been approved.
International
Trump says GOP ‘learned a lot’ after democratic election wins
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he and the Republican Party “learned a lot” from the Democratic victories in Tuesday’s state and local elections. He also compared Democrats to “kamikaze pilots” over the ongoing budget standoff.
Speaking at an event with Republican senators on Wednesday, Trump described the results as an unexpected setback.
“These were very Democratic areas, but I don’t think it was good for Republicans. In fact, I don’t think it was good for anyone. But we had an interesting night and we learned a lot,” he said during remarks broadcast by the White House.
Trump agreed with pollsters that two key factors led to Republican losses in New York’s mayoral race and the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia.
International
Bolivia’s Jeanine Áñez freed after Supreme Court annuls her conviction
Former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Áñez was released from a women’s prison in La Paz on Thursday, where she had spent more than four and a half years for an alleged coup, after her conviction was annulled, AFP journalists confirmed.
Dozens of supporters and family members gathered outside the facility to celebrate her release. Áñez left the prison waving a Bolivian flag around 15:00 GMT.
“It is comforting to see that justice will once again prevail in Bolivia. She was the only woman who took on the role with bravery and courage,” said Lizeth Maure, a 46-year-old nurse who had come to show her support.
Áñez, a 58-year-old lawyer and conservative politician, governed Bolivia for nearly a year until November 2020, when she handed power to leftist leader Luis Arce.
She was arrested in 2021 and sentenced the following year to 10 years in prison for “resolutions contrary to the Constitution,” accused of illegally assuming the presidency after Evo Morales resigned in 2019 amid social unrest.
Her sentence was overturned on Wednesday by the Supreme Court of Justice, Bolivia’s highest judicial authority.
The court ruled that Áñez should have been subjected to a “trial of responsibilities” before Congress— a constitutional process reserved for sitting presidents, vice presidents, ministers, and top judges — rather than prosecuted in an ordinary criminal court.
As she was welcomed by relatives and supporters upon release, Áñez declared:
“I feel the satisfaction of having fulfilled my duty to my country, of never having bowed down. And I will never regret having served Bolivia when it needed me.”
International
Peru declares Mexico’s president Persona Non Grata over political asylum dispute
Peru’s Congress declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata on Thursday, accusing her of “unacceptable interference in internal affairs” after granting political asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez.
The motion, introduced by right-wing parties, passed with 63 votes in favor, 33 against, and two abstentions. Lawmakers argue that Sheinbaum has maintained a hostile stance toward Peru since taking office.
Peru severed diplomatic relations with Mexico on Monday following the asylum decision. Chávez, who is facing charges for her alleged involvement in former President Pedro Castillo’s failed coup attempt in December 2022, remains under protection at the Mexican embassy residence in Lima.
Following the diplomatic break, interim President José Jerí said on X that Mexico’s chargé d’affaires in Peru, Karla Ornela, has been notified by the foreign ministry that she must leave the country within a strict deadline.
The Mexican government condemned Lima’s decision as “excessive and disproportionate,” asserting that offering asylum to Chávez is a legitimate act grounded in international law and does not constitute interference in Peru’s domestic matters.
Trump says GOP ‘learned a lot’ after democratic election wins
Bolivia’s Jeanine Áñez freed after Supreme Court annuls her conviction
Peru declares Mexico’s president Persona Non Grata over political asylum dispute
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