Central America
Ricardo Martinelli’s candidacy in limbo amid pending electoral tribunal decision on disqualification
The candidacy of former Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) for the May 5th elections is still in limbo, pending the official announcement of his disqualification by the Electoral Tribunal of Panama following a 10-year prison sentence for money laundering, a conviction that also led him to seek asylum as a political refugee in the Nicaraguan embassy.
The sentence convicting the former president to 10 years and 6 months in prison for money laundering in the ‘New Business’ case, a complex scheme to irregularly purchase with public funds the Panama America S.A. Publishing House (Epasa) that publishes three newspapers, was confirmed on February 2nd.
However, more than 20 days after the conviction was confirmed, the official document has not reached the Electoral Tribunal, which has reiterated publicly this week that it cannot officially disqualify Martinelli as a presidential candidate until it receives the judicial ruling.
Amidst this confusing situation, a copy of the sentence was delivered to the TE last Thursday by a group of lawyers. Following this, the electoral body sent a request to Judge Baloísa Marquínez, who presided over Martinelli’s case, to “urgently indicate” the authenticity of the sentence copy presented by the lawyers and, “if so,” to send them a “certification” of the conviction.
“Judge Marquínez has informed us that at this time the sentence is not yet final; it is not in force (…) we have to wait for (the sentence) to first reach the Electoral Tribunal and all constitutional and legal procedures will be followed,” said the director of Legal Advice of the electoral entity, Rubén Darío González, outside the Supreme Court of Justice on Friday.
Central America
The Congress of El Salvador ratifies a reform for express changes to the Constitution
The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s ruling party, Nuevas Ideas (NI), ratified this Wednesday a controversial reform that allows express changes to the Constitution.
The reform, which received the endorsement of the 2021-2024 Legislature, allows the same legislature to approve and ratify the changes to the Magna Carta.
Initially, the constitutional amendments needed the vote of two different legislatures.
This amendment was ratified with 57 votes from NI and its allies, while the three opposition legislators voted against it.
The government justified this reform in the need to “have the necessary tools to face the social realities demanded by Salvadorans in the face of the constant changes that the world faces quickly.”
The original wording of the second paragraph of article 248 establishes that the only way to modify the Constitution is through approval in a legislature with a simple majority and its ratification with the vote of two-thirds of the legislators.
With this approved amendment, it is added that this process can be carried out in the same legislature with three quarters of the elected deputies (45 out of 60).
Congresswoman Marcela Villatoro, of the opposition party Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), criticized the reform and pointed out that the reform process established in the same Constitution and judgments of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) would be violated.
“You are calling yourself constituents, you are violating the Constitution because you are not following the process of law” and “you have found the perfect excuse to upset the substance of the Constitution,” said the legislator.
The ruling deputy Caleb Navarro said that this reform would also serve to remove the political debt to the parties, with which they receive public funds for their work, which includes political campaigns prior to elections.
In September 2020, President Bukele during his first term appointed his vice president, Félix Ulloa, to coordinate the study and proposal for reform to the Constitution.
It was in September 2021 that Bukele received a draft to reform more than 200 articles of the Constitution, but this document has not yet been presented to the Legislative body.
Central America
Bodies found in black plastic bags in a clandestine cemetery in Honduras
A clandestine cemetery was discovered this Friday in the 28 de Marzo neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, according to local media reports. Police authorities have arrived at the scene to begin the corresponding investigations.
The discovery was made after residents in the area spotted a body wrapped in black plastic bags and notified authorities. Shortly afterward, another set of remains was found just a few meters away. Specialized teams also reported the presence of animal bones, prompting investigations to determine whether the remains belong to a single individual or multiple bodies, along with the animal remains found.
Honduran media also reported that security forces have launched an operation in nearby areas to determine if more human remains are present.
Central America
Two U.S. military planes deport dozens of Guatemalans amid Trump’s massive migration crackdown
Two U.S. military planes carrying dozens of deported Guatemalans arrived in Guatemala on Friday, following the announcement by Donald Trump’s administration of the beginning of a massive migrant deportation operation, according to official authorities.
A total of 79 Guatemalans (31 women and 48 men) were onboard the first flight, which landed at midnight, the Guatemalan Migration Institute reported. A second plane arrived Friday morning, though the exact number of passengers on that flight has not yet been confirmed. Authorities are also expecting an additional flight.
“We can confirm that, overnight, two Department of Defense planes conducted repatriation flights from the United States to Guatemala,” the Pentagon stated.
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