Central America
CC’s resolution that orders to repeat the scrutiny review hearing is questioned
July 4 |
During the morning of July 2, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) had not issued a position on the provisional injunction granted by the CC, while the Departmental Electoral Board (JED) of Guatemala and the Central District Electoral Board (JEDC) had not been notified and were waiting for indications from the TSE to proceed with the injunction.
The Constitutional Court (CC) granted a provisional injunction to a group of nine political parties, generating a series of steps for the verification of the minutes, preventing the TSE from making official the results of the general elections of June 25.
With this resolution, the different electoral boards of the country have to repeat the scrutiny review hearing, where challenges could be presented in minutes that, according to the criteria of the political parties, are not completely clear.
For example, some of the minutes that have been questioned are those that have a series of erasures, along with others that appear to have errors in the addition of the votes, according to the political organizations.
The resolution of last Saturday, contemplates that in case the review of the tally sheets is not necessary, there is the possibility of a vote by vote count, which would mean opening the electoral boxes that are already in possession of the TSE, specifically in the Center of Operations of the Electoral Process (COPE), installed in the Parque de la Industria.
“The electoral boxes are no longer in the possession of the Electoral Boards, because they are already delivered to the TSE”, explained Kenneth Ordoñez, secretary of the JED of Guatemala.
“There in those boxes is the vote of the Guatemalans”, explained the secretary, adding that he agrees with electoral observation groups that affirm the need to safeguard the boxes containing the ballots. “In those boxes is the popular will and now we need the boxes back,” he says.
For his part José Murúa, president of the JEDC, points out that before proceeding they need indications from the highest electoral body. “We are waiting for the procedure indicated by the TSE, to evaluate how to proceed. Until the processes in process are not concluded, the appointment of mayor and councilmen cannot be concluded”.
The CC, after issuing the provisional injunction in favor of the parties, transferred the injunction to the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), since they stated that due to issues of “competence” it is the CSJ who should be in charge.
Central America
Guatemala’s President to Hold Private Interviews for Attorney General Candidates
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León announced that he will privately interview the six candidates for attorney general this week, breaking with the public format used by former President Alejandro Giammattei.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Arévalo said the interviews would not be open to the public because he intends to question candidates about their plans to recover the Attorney General’s Office from what he described as “political-criminal networks.”
Under Guatemalan law, the president is responsible for appointing the country’s attorney general.
The position has been held since 2018 by Consuelo Porras, whose term is set to expire on May 16 after two consecutive terms marked by local and international allegations of corruption.
Arévalo is expected to select the new attorney general later this week from a shortlist recently submitted by a nomination commission.
The Guatemalan president has repeatedly criticized the Public Prosecutor’s Office, claiming it has been compromised by corrupt political interests.
Central America
Guatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
Constitutional Court of Guatemala on Thursday annulled the shortlist of six candidates for attorney general and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, ordering authorities to repeat the evaluation phase of the selection process.
The ruling came in response to a legal appeal filed by Raúl Amílcar Falla Ovalle, who challenged the way professional experience had been assessed for some applicants, particularly those with careers in the judiciary.
As a result of the decision, the selection process has been suspended, and the Postulation Commission must return to the stage in which the original 48 applicants were evaluated.
According to the ruling, the commission must reapply the grading criteria without automatically counting years served as judges as equivalent to the professional experience required for the position.
“The Postulation Commission for the election of the Attorney General and Head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office is ordered to reassess the applicants by strictly applying the approved grading table,” the resolution states.
The Constitutional Court also stressed that the process must guarantee merit, competence, and suitability, while ensuring greater transparency in the assignment of scores.
Central America
U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme
The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.
Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.
The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.
According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.
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