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Guatemalan court orders cancellation of Movimiento Semilla Party amid legal dispute

Bernardo Arévalo calls for dialogue on crisis in Guatemala

On Thursday, Judge Fredy Orellana ordered the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to cancel the political party Movimiento Semilla, which helped elect President Bernardo Arévalo de León in the 2023 elections. Members of the party have called the judge’s actions “illegal.”

Judge Orellana, head of the Seventh Criminal Court, instructed the TSE to carry out the cancellation of Movimiento Semilla, which is currently suspended due to a criminal case initiated by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) in 2023 over alleged irregularities in its formation.

According to Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who is handling the case against the president’s party, the judge’s request is based on testimony from former congresswoman and current government official Ligia Hernández, who agreed to testify after spending 90 days in prison.

The judicial order came two days after the ruling party succeeded in reforming the organized crime law in Congress to prevent the cancellation of Movimiento Semilla.

“A judge cannot suspend or cancel any political party,” said ruling party legislator Samuel Pérez to local journalists after the ruling was announced.

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“With the reform we passed, we now have the tools necessary to recover the party and our rights as a legislative bloc. Now, the one who will have to answer for their illegal actions is Judge Orellana,” Pérez added.

Movimiento Semilla and several of its members, including Arévalo de León, have faced judicial persecution from the Prosecutor’s Office since their surprise victory in the 2023 presidential elections.

The leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office, headed by Consuelo Porras, and Judge Orellana have been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for corruption, as their actions were deemed “undemocratic” in the context of Arévalo de León’s electoral victory last year.

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Central America

Honduras arrests former military leaders over 2009 killings

Former Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of Honduras, General Romeo Vásquez, was arrested on Sunday as the alleged person responsible for the 2009 killings of two individuals by military personnel, just days after leading the coup against former President Manuel Zelaya.

Along with him, the Deputy Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Venancio Cervantes, and the former commander of the Joint Operations Command were also detained, according to the Secretary of State for Security (Interior), Gustavo Sánchez, on his social media account X.

“The three arrests were made moments ago by the Honduran Police in coordination with the Public Ministry in Tegucigalpa and La Paz (west),” Sánchez said.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office had issued an arrest warrant for the three ex-military officials “on charges of homicide and aggravated assault” against Obed Murillo and Alex Zavala, who were attacked by “members of the Armed Forces,” according to the Public Ministry.

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Sports

AC Milan defeats Juventus to secure Supercoppa Italiana final spot

AC Milan will take on Inter Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana final on Monday following a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory against Juventus in the second semifinal held in Riyadh on Friday.

Turkish sensation Kenan Yildiz, a late addition to Juventus’ starting lineup, opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a powerful strike that caught French goalkeeper Mike Maignan off guard.

However, AC Milan, under new Portuguese coach Sérgio Conceição—who replaced his compatriot Paulo Fonseca earlier this week—delivered a much-improved second-half performance.

The ‘Rossoneri’ leveled the game in the 71st minute through a penalty converted by American star Christian Pulisic. Just four minutes later, their winning goal came via an own goal by Juventus defender Federico Gatti, who accidentally sent the ball past his goalkeeper, who was caught out of position.

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Central America

Honduras to send delegation in place of president Castro for Maduro ceremony

Honduran President Xiomara Castro will not attend Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration on January 10, an official source confirmed Friday in Tegucigalpa.

In brief statements to journalists, Honduran Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres said that Castro “will not go to Venezuela” and that a delegation will likely be sent to represent Honduras at Maduro’s swearing-in ceremony.

Regarding the $100,000 reward announced by Venezuelan police for information on the whereabouts of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, Torres remarked that it is an internal matter for Venezuela. However, he noted that the situation “reflects a tense political climate ahead of Nicolás Maduro’s inauguration.”

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