Central America
Action against judge who prevents the officialization of electoral results in Guatemala

July 10 |
Representatives of the Seed Movement filed this Sunday before the Constitutional Court (CC) of Guatemala a complaint against the resolution issued unilaterally by the president of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), Silvia Valdés, which prevents the officialization of the results of the first round of elections.
A national prosecutor of Semilla, Juan Guerrero, declared to the press media that with this legal action they are seeking that the election of last June 25 does not continue to be trapped and that the second round of elections can continue.
The run-off election is scheduled for next August 20 and Bernardo Arévalo (Semilla) and Sandra Torres (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza) will face each other.
Guerrero denounced that the CSJ left on hold the awarding of public positions elected on June 25 and also the call for the second round with the two parties that obtained the highest number of votes in the first round.
It held that Valdés “could not make a unilateral decision that was not supported by the rest of the magistrates”. The CSJ is integrated by a total of 13.
Based on this, they requested the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to officialize the results of the first round of the elections and that, as the highest authority in electoral matters, “take the decision to continue with the process designated in the provisional injunction”, he said.
The mentioned resolution was issued alone by Judge Valdes last Friday. Previously, the results were not officialized because nine political parties filed an injunction to review the voting records. This process was practically concluded and only detected changes in the order of 0.02-0.4 percent in the electoral result.
During these days, indigenous communities announced that they will mobilize if the electoral result is not recognized. This Saturday, hundreds of students marched in Guatemala City and demanded the courts to respect the popular vote.
Central America
Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua

On Monday (March 31, 2025), Panama extended the safe-conduct pass for former President Ricardo Martinelli by three more days to allow him to travel to Nicaragua, after the Central American country refused to receive him due to concerns over an alleged Interpol arrest warrant.
“The National Government has decided to extend the validity of the safe-conduct pass for an additional seventy-two (72) hours, until the end of Thursday, April 3, 2025,” the Panamanian Foreign Ministry stated in a communiqué. The original permit was set to expire Monday at midnight (05:00 GMT on Tuesday).
The Foreign Ministry explained that regarding the ‘humanitarian asylum’ granted to Martinelli last Thursday, which was set to expire Monday at midnight, the Nicaraguan government requested clarifications about an apparent Interpol alert, which had already been dismissed as inadmissible.
Additionally, the Panamanian Supreme Court of Justice, as the highest authority of the Judicial Branch, stated on Monday that it had “no objections” to granting asylum and a safe-conduct to Martinelli, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch.
Central America
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Monday that during last week’s meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, she urged Mexico to reinforce its border with Guatemala and share biometric datawith U.S. authorities.
“I gave her a list of things that President Trump would love to see. And it was exceptional. It was supposed to be a half-hour meeting, but we talked for nearly two hours. It was very productive,” Noem said in an interview with Fox News.
The Homeland Security Secretary requested that Sheinbaum, who has already deployed 10,000 National Guard troopsalong Mexico’s northern border with the U.S., also secure Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.
Noem added that she also asked the Mexican president to share biometric data with the U.S., to which Sheinbaum responded that she was “willing to discuss it,” although she acknowledged that it could be a controversial issue in her country.
Central America
Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending

Panama’s National Police clarified on Sunday that an Interpol alert request for former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) is still under review and has yet to be confirmed. Martinelli was granted a safe-conduct pass last Thursday to leave the Nicaraguan embassy, where he has been seeking asylum since February 2024 after being convicted of corruption.
“The National Police clarifies that there is currently an active process for an Interpol alert, requested by Judge Baloisa Marquínez, against former President Ricardo Martinelli. This request must be analyzed by Interpol’s General Secretariat (headquartered in France) for approval or rejection. If approved, it will be notified to member countries,” the police stated in a press release sent to EFE.
According to the statement, “at the moment, it remains an ongoing procedure, and former President Martinelli does not have a confirmed alert.”
The announcement came hours after National Police Director Jaime Fernández had told the press that an “Interpol alert” for Martinelli had been received on Friday.
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