Central America

Elections leave a fragmented Congress in Guatemala

Photo: Palacio Legislativo

June 27 |

With 99 percent of the tables counted, the voting trend in Guatemala last Sunday already marks the names of the deputies that will make up the Tenth Legislature and leave a Congress without clear and sufficient majorities for who will be the next president.

The until now official party, Vamos, will be the main force in Congress after obtaining 39 deputies (out of 160), while the second force will be the National Unity of Hope (UNE) with 28 deputies, followed by the Seed Movement, which will occupy 23 seats.

In addition to the elected deputies, there is a list of candidates who did not achieve victory and among them there are several well-known names such as former president Jimmy Morales, former minister Enrique Degenhart, current deputy Patricia Sandoval and former deputy Fernando Linares Beltranena.

According to local media, the strategy of the still official Vamos party of “taking advantage of public resources to carry out political clientelism, allying itself with the majority of the country’s mayors and strengthening its structure in Congress with deputies from parties such as the Union of National Change (UCN) paid off in these elections”.

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Among the deputies repeating with Vamos is Allan Rodríguez, whose brother, Luis Alberto Rodríguez will also be a deputy. Shirley Rivera, current president of Congress was also reelected.

Meanwhile, Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE) notably reduced its number of legislators, going from 52 elected in 2019 to around 27 it will have after these elections.

Bernardo Arévalo, from the Semilla party, will dispute the presidency together with Torres. The political grouping will be the third force in Congress, with around 22 legislators.

In turn, Edmond Mulet’s party will have 18 legislators, while a total of 13 groups will add between one and nine legislators, among which are Valor, of candidate Zury Ríos and Visión Con Valores (Viva), which was supported by former President Alfonso Portillo. His ex-wife Evelyn Morataya will repeat as deputy.

The results of the elections for the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) also show that at least eight parties will be able to place at least one deputy, out of the 20 deputies to be elected for this regional body, headed equally by Vamos.

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Central America

Guatemala’s president rules out negotiations with inmates after prison riots

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo stressed that his administration will not negotiate with inmates nor restore concessions granted under previous governments, insisting that the Executive’s priority is to maintain control of the prison system and restore order in detention centers.

Arévalo said one of the key measures implemented by authorities was the blocking of mobile phone signals inside prisons, an action he described as decisive in regaining control of the Renovación 1 penitentiary.

The riots reported at Renovación 1, Fraijanes 2, and the Preventive Detention Center for Men in Zone 18 of Guatemala City were aimed at pressuring the state to recover privileges that had been recently revoked, Arévalo said during a press conference held Wednesday at the National Palace of Culture.

The president explained that inmates were seeking to reinstate special detention conditions, including air conditioning, king-size beds, and internet access, benefits that he said were eliminated by the current administration.

“They attempted to extort the state in order to return to that system of privileges, but they failed,” Arévalo emphasized.

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Central America

Mazatenango Carnival cancelled amid State of Siege in Guatemala

The municipal government of Mazatenango, in the department of Suchitepéquez, Guatemala, has cancelled the city’s traditional Carnival as a security measure aimed at protecting visitors and residents.

The decision was announced on Tuesday through the municipality’s official Facebook page and comes as a preventive action amid the state of siege declared by the national government last Sunday.

The Mazatenango Carnival, one of the country’s most emblematic festivities, boasts more than 140 years of traditionand typically draws large crowds from across Guatemala and neighboring regions. Its program usually includes parades of floats, the traditional “Rabbit Race,” street dancing and live music, concerts, and cultural events in the Central Plaza.

According to the official statement, the cancellation responds to the current security context and the restrictions associated with the state of siege, prioritizing public safety.

Municipal authorities clarified that the scheduled concert by La Arrolladora Banda El Limón will still take place separately and will be the sole responsibility of the private production company, independent of the cancelled carnival activities.

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Central America

Guatemala raises police death toll to nine after gang violence escalates

Guatemalan authorities raised the death toll of police officers killed in a wave of gang violence to nine on Monday, after one officer wounded in the attacks died from his injuries. The violence prompted the government to declare a state of siege.

Criminal gangs launched a series of coordinated attacks against police forces across several parts of the country in retaliation for the government’s recapture of three prisons, where gang leaders had been holding dozens of prison guards hostage. Authorities said the hostages were used to pressure officials into transferring gang leaders to facilities with looser security measures.

Eight police officers were killed on Sunday. Another officer, identified as Frayan Medrano, died Monday in a public hospital after being shot while riding a motorcycle with a colleague, who remains in critical condition, according to police and the Ministry of the Interior.