Central America
US cancels visas for 300 Guatemalans including 100 anti-democratic deputies
December 12 |
The United States announced yesterday the cancellation of visas for some 300 Guatemalans, including a hundred deputies, and condemned attempts to “undermine” democracy by the country’s Attorney General’s Office, a body that has tried to overturn in court the presidential victory of social democrat Bernardo Arévalo.
“The United States strongly condemns the anti-democratic actions of the Guatemalan Public Ministry and other malicious actors that are undermining the rule of law in Guatemala,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
The visa restrictions affect some “300 Guatemalan nationals, including more than 100 members of Congress, as well as private sector representatives and their families,” the statement said.
These sanctions come in a context of tension over the results of the August presidential elections in which Arévalo, who promises to fight corruption in the country, won a surprise victory.
On Friday, Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office stated that the elections should be annulled due to alleged irregularities in the first round.
On the same day, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal assured that the election results were “official and unalterable”, and affirmed that Arevalo will take office on January 14, as scheduled.
Washington warned that it will continue to “take steps to impose such restrictions on anyone who undermines Guatemala’s democracy”, ensuring “that the will of the Guatemalan people is respected”, according to the State Department statement.
The United States reproached that these actions, which are “clearly inconsistent” with the Inter-American Democratic Charter, “constitute evidence of their clear intent to delegitimize Guatemala’s free and fair elections and prevent the peaceful transition of power.”
“These brazen measures follow a long list of other anti-democratic actions including: lifting the immunity of electoral magistrates, political attacks against opposition members, intimidation of peaceful protesters, raids on storage facilities housing election results records, and opening boxes at polling centers,” the U.S. Department of State reiterated.
Miller reiterated that the announced visa restrictions reinforce previous U.S. government measures to promote accountability of corrupt actors and support the will of the people: “The Guatemalan people have spoken. Their voices must be respected.
The Constitutional Court (CC) yesterday received a complaint against the Public Prosecutor’s Office which considers that the prosecuting agency has failed to comply with an injunction issued on October 7 by the CC itself ordering it to respect the outcome of the presidential elections.
“We are going to ask for assistance for the due execution of the injunction because we were granted a provisional injunction on October 7, when the CC said it urged all bodies to respect the alternation in power and the election results,” explained constitutional lawyer Edgar Ortiz.
The ambassador of the European Union in Guatemala, Thomas Peyker, announced on Sunday that the 27 are preparing a new package of “sanctions”.
1.- Objective
Like the US, the European Union will target restrictive measures against those responsible for the attempted coup d’état in Guatemala.
Condemnation
The EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned “the attempts to annul the elections in Guatemala.
3.- In the spotlight
The Public Ministry of Guatemala has requested the annulment of the entire electoral process due to alleged irregularities of the Seed Movement.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) adopted yesterday resolution 03/2023, referring to the respect for human rights and the “instrumentalization of the justice system in Guatemala”, regarding the political crisis caused by the actions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) against the electoral process and the elected authorities. In its resolution, the IACHR alerts the OAS Member States and the international community about an “imminent rupture of the constitutional order due to the abuse of power” of the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Attorney General’s Office of Guatemala delivered yesterday to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) a report of a questioned investigation on alleged anomalies for which it considers “null and void” the elections won by the opposition Bernardo Arévalo.
The TSE affirmed that it will analyze the investigation file of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI) on elections; on the subject, the presiding magistrate, Blanca Alfaro, reiterated that the electoral results “are validated, officialized and unalterable”.
Central America
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Central America
Uber Eats adds Puntarenas and Turrialba to growing Costa Rica network
Uber Eats announced that it is continuing to expand its presence in Costa Rica with the launch of operations in the cities of Puntarenas and Turrialba, further strengthening the company’s growth in the country.
With this expansion, the delivery platform is now available across all seven Costa Rican provinces and works with more than 6,000 partner businesses. Its offerings include prepared food, supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and other specialty retailers.
As part of the announcement, Uber Eats also introduced Marco Nannipieri as its new Regional General Manager for the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nannipieri will oversee the company’s operations in Costa Rica along with seven other countries in the region.
“Costa Rica is a key market for Uber Eats in the region, with growing adoption of technology among users and businesses. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants have joined the app, and today we are entering a new stage of expansion that will allow us to reach more cities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Nannipieri said.
Central America
Report questions direction of Nasry Asfura after 100 days in office
The Center for the Study of Democracy warned Tuesday that the government of Nasry Asfura, which marks its first 100 days in office on Wednesday, has failed to show a “significant change in direction” and continues to follow a model characterized by exclusion, inequality, and external dependence.
In its report titled “100 Days of the Nasry Asfura Government: Concerns and Demands,” Cespad stated that the administration has maintained an economic and political model that prioritizes debt payments, the promotion of extractive projects, and the strengthening of the security apparatus over social investment.
The organization argued that the current policies have not addressed structural problems affecting large sectors of the Honduran population and warned that inequality and economic dependence remain key challenges for the country.
Nasry Asfura won the general elections held on November 30, 2025, in a process marked by allegations of fraud and delays in the vote count that lasted nearly a month due to a series of technological failures.
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