Voters in Guatemala voted for their new president on June 25th in the first round of the election.
This election is bringing attention to what observers call the erosion of the rule of law in Guatemala.
In the first round of voting, the presidential race in Guatemala has narrowed down to three main candidates. These candidates are former first land Sandra Torres, a former diplomat Edmund Mulet, and Zury Rios.
The electoral authority has disqualified every single candidate who could change the status quo. The current president of Guatemala is Alejandro Giammattei. Giammattei is a conservative who critics accuse of pushing the country toward autocracy, in which one person holds all the power in a government.
Freedom of the press is also being threatened by the President of Guatemala. “The founder of a leading newspaper who exposed many instances of the graft was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of money laundering”, according to a New York Times article.
While the voting process was mostly calm, there were some reports of violence in the lead-up. The electoral board claims that polling station workers on a bus heading to training were stopped by a group as they reached the municipality. The workers were then forced out of the bus, soaked with gasoline, and threatened to be lit on fire before the police intervened. The board also said that the victims of the attack resigned after it and that the centers in San Jose del Golfo needed more volunteers to receive votes.
The police also fired tear gas at a crowd in San Jose del Golfo after reports of people from other municipalities had been transported to vote there. The voting in San Jose was suspended by midday. The second round of voting will be held on August 20th.
This election is bringing attention to what observers call the erosion of the rule of law in Guatemala.
In the first round of voting, the presidential race in Guatemala has narrowed down to three main candidates. These candidates are former first land Sandra Torres, a former diplomat Edmund Mulet, and Zury Rios.
The electoral authority has disqualified every single candidate who could change the status quo. The current president of Guatemala is Alejandro Giammattei. Giammattei is a conservative who critics accuse of pushing the country toward autocracy, in which one person holds all the power in a government.
Freedom of the press is also being threatened by the President of Guatemala. “The founder of a leading newspaper who exposed many instances of the graft was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of money laundering”, according to a New York Times article.
While the voting process was mostly calm, there were some reports of violence in the lead-up. The electoral board claims that polling station workers on a bus heading to training were stopped by a group as they reached the municipality. The workers were then forced out of the bus, soaked with gasoline, and threatened to be lit on fire before the police intervened. The board also said that the victims of the attack resigned after it and that the centers in San Jose del Golfo needed more volunteers to receive votes.
The police also fired tear gas at a crowd in San Jose del Golfo after reports of people from other municipalities had been transported to vote there. The voting in San Jose was suspended by midday. The second round of voting will be held on August 20th.
