Guatemala: 3 women who lead the presidential elections

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Despite the different controversies that surround them and the more than 20 candidates for the presidency of Guatemala, 3 women lead the intention to vote

On June 16, Guatemala will elect its new president. Those interested in applying as candidates will have until next April 27 to register. So far more than 20 pairs have been presented, and in which are Sandra Torres, Zury Ríos and Thelma Aldana, who was recently prevented from being a presidential candidate.

Leer en español: Guatemala: 3 mujeres que lideran las elecciones presidenciales

These three women lead the vote intention, according to the survey conducted by the firm Cid Gallup, although 46% of respondents said they still do not have a candidate within their interests, as Soy 502 affirms. 1,815 Guatemalan respondents, 17% chose Sandra Torres; 10% to Thelma Ríos and 7% to Zury Ríos.

Key elections

The elections come in a critical situation for the country. According to the same poll, for Guatemalans, the management of the current president, Jimmy Morales, has been inadequate, the most critical being his performance in the economic sphere and the perception of corruption in his government, the same portal highlights.

In addition, the Morales government has generated that "indicators of violence have increased, that the institutional crisis encompasses all the organs of the State (crisis in health, where deaths from chronic malnutrition have increased) and in public education," according to Foreign policy.

However, the lack of new faces in the candidates makes the possibility of crisis persist.

Torres, for example, was a presidential candidate for 2015 and is accused of corruption. Ríos, daughter of Efraín Ríos Montt, who was convicted of genocide; and finally Aldana, who was considered a hope and who is one of the main figures in the fight against corruption, was denied his candidacy. The decision was taken by the Electoral Tribunal of Guatemala on the grounds that Aldana has a warrant for three crimes.

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The problems of those who lead

Sandra Torres

The presidential candidate for the party Unidad Nacional de Esperanza (UNE), had already presented for the 2015 elections, despite having several investigations against him. It is signaled by illicit financing in its previous campaign, the court of that country has not proceeded to the investigation. According to the Nomad portal, the prosecutor in charge of the case, Consuela Porras, would have delayed the trial to benefit Torres' candidacy.

The case reached the office of Porras in October 2018, but it was not until February 2019 that it was presented before the Supreme Court of Justice, a day after (February 6) that Torres' candidacy was formalized. Up to this moment, Torres continues as an official candidate and affirms that these accusations "are intended to prevent her participation in the race and leave a freeway to other candidates".

However, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) "appealed to the Constitutional Court of the country, the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice that maintains the immunity of the presidential candidate Sandra Torres," according to CNN. According to the official statement, the CICIG affirms that the denunciations "presume serious, legitimate and motivated by altruistic interests, under the principle of good faith; Anyone who says otherwise has to prove it, through serious and objective reasons, rather than take it for granted".

Zury Rivers

As mentioned before, Ríos is the daughter of the dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, who was in charge of the "dismal climate of open repression that the country experienced from March 23, 1982 to August 7, 1983," according to El Nuevo Siglo. It was on the first date that the dictator rose to power and on the second when "she was deposed as de facto president," according to the same media.

Despite the fact that in the 1985 Constitution, it was said "that anyone who has caused a coup d'état or their children, cannot opt for the presidency," according to El País, the Supreme Court of Justice has decided to defend her candidacy under the refusal of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Your candidacy can only be revoked by the Constitutional Court, which has already received an appeal from the TSE to review the case and take into account Article 186 of the Constitution

Thelma Aldana

The candidate who showed a clear difference for Guatemala, was denied his candidacy by the TSE. Aldana is accused of "the crimes of embezzlement, ideological falsehood and special cases of customs fraud," according to Nómada. Aldana denies any crime committed and is abroad for security reasons.

For several experts, the decision of the court represents a move of the opposition, because when Aldana was a prosecutor, and with the CICIG, accused more than 600 "powerful people who had committed crimes, among which are politicians, military, businessmen, narcos and judges", highlights the same media.

However, to return to the race for the presidency, Aldana will put its case in the hands of the Supreme Court of Justice, if its protection is denied, it can appeal to the Constitutional Court, where it will be its last instance.

LatinAmerican Post | Laura Viviana Guevara Muñoz

Translated from "Guatemala: las 3 mujeres que lideran las elecciones presidenciales"