Guatemala: corruption scandals behind the presidential elections
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Today the Guatemalan people will decide who will be their next president, but the elections have been marked by corruption. Here we tell you more
Leer en español: Guatemala: escándalos de corrupción marcan las elecciones presidenciales
From 7 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon (Guatemalan time), the citizens of the Central American country will be exercising their right to vote and elect the successor of the much-challenged President Jimmy Morales, who ends his term with an extremely low approval rating. As previously LatinAmerican Post published in April, three women were leading the presidential elections and, although more than twenty candidates were around, Sandra Torres, Zury Ríos and Thelma Aldana were the leaders in the voting intention in the polls. However, only one of the three was left as a candidate for different scandals that occurred during the time before the elections, as two were revoked. In addition, not only the candidates have been involved in accusations, other current candidates as well.
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As the RT portal published, the participation of candidate Zury Ríos of the Valor Party was revoked and banned for being the daughter of ex-dictator Efraín Ríos Montt and the candidate and former attorney general, Thelma Aldana of the Semilla Party, winner of the so-called Alternative Nobel Prize and who commanded a campaign against corruption. The latter denounced the fact as a conspiracy on the part of those who are afraid for her work. The most worrisome aspect is that other current candidates are also involved in controversial allegations of bribes or even child trafficking, as RT made public in a video on June 10.
Among the candidates also mentioned are Alejandro Giammattei , a doctor who proposes a strong governement in Guatemala, a candidate for the Vamos party, who ranks number two in the polls. According to the RT website, although he is not under investigation at the moment, Giammattei was dismissed in two investigations of extrajudicial executions. Edmond Mulet, candidate for the Humanist Party of Guatemala, has accusations for collaborating in a network that gives children for adoption. Roberto Arzú of the Pan-Podemos Party has a warrant for his arrest by a Florida court in the United States. Finally, Estuardo Galdámez of the National Convergence Front has some accusations for bribes.
Only until today at 6 o'clock in the afternoon in Guatemala will we be able to know the results of who will govern for the next four years the Central American country. It is a great challenge, since Guatemala comes from a questionable government as that of Jimmy Morales, who has been involved in corruption cases. According to France 24, of the 19 current candidates, there are five that stand out and seem to be the favorites, among them Sandra Torres, the only one of the shortlist that was not revoked.
LatinAmerican Post | Ana María Aray
Translated from "Guatemala: escándalos de corrupción marcan las elecciones presidenciales"
