Central America
Elections leave a fragmented Congress in Guatemala
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”.
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.
Central America
Bukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, accompanied by his official delegation, arrived at the site where the new facilities of the Center for the High Containment of Organized Crime (CACCO) are being built. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves welcomed Bukele, marking the start of the cornerstone-laying ceremony.
“Thank you very much to President Rodrigo Chaves and his cabinet for this invitation,” Bukele said, noting that this was his fourth meeting with the Costa Rican leader in the past two years.
In his address, Bukele stressed that insecurity is a problem that undermines all aspects of society. “When insecurity advances, jobs collapse, education becomes more difficult, and the economy slows down. People stop going out, businesses close early, investment leaves, and tourism disappears,” he said.
The Salvadoran president warned that if crime continues to grow, it can turn into a parallel government—“the dictatorship of gangs, criminals, and drug traffickers.” He added that this situation has not yet occurred in Costa Rica and that the country is still in time to prevent it.
Central America
U.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
The Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in El Salvador, Naomi Fellows, said on Monday that relations between the two countries remain “very close” and that both governments continue to work together in several areas of shared interest.
Speaking at a press conference, Fellows highlighted the longstanding friendship between the United States and El Salvador, as well as the achievements reached through bilateral agreements.
“In terms of our relationship with El Salvador, it continues to be very strong, very close. We are partners on security issues, on economic development; partners on migration, and on many other matters,” she said.
Fellows added that the relationship remains solid and is expected to continue strengthening through joint actions and cooperation initiatives.
On security, she noted that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has underscored the results of the measures implemented by the government of President Nayib Bukele to improve public safety in the country.
Senior U.S. officials have visited El Salvador to observe firsthand the impact of the Territorial Control Plan, including tours of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).
Fellows also emphasized the strong personal ties between the two nations, pointing to family and friendship connections that link Salvadorans and Americans.
Central America
Taiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
Amid the national tragedy left by the earthquakes of January 13 and February 13, 2001, a controversial corruption scandal emerged that later implicated former presidents Francisco Flores and Elías Antonio Saca, as well as senior executives of the ARENA party.
Although there were efforts to conceal a scheme involving the misuse of public funds, subsequent investigations revealed that between October 2003 and April 2004 the government of Taiwan, led at the time by President Chen Shui-bian, delivered at least three checks totaling $10 million in donations to El Salvador. The funds were diverted and never recorded by the Technical Secretariat for External Financing, the government body responsible for coordinating and monitoring international cooperation resources.
The plight of more than 1.5 million earthquake victims prompted an outpouring of international solidarity. However, it also fueled ambitions among sectors that allegedly took advantage of the emergency to improperly appropriate resources intended to ease the suffering of those affected.
Part of the $10 million donation was earmarked for the construction of housing for residents of Las Colinas, one of the communities hardest hit by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck on January 13, 2001, at 11:35 a.m. Plans also included the creation of a memorial park to honor the 525 victims buried by landslides.
At a press conference in January 2014, Alejandro Flores, president of the Las Colinas community board, stated that residents received some assistance from Taiwanese cooperation funds. However, he clarified that this support came from different resources and that the destination of the $10 million donation was never known to them.
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