Guatemala City, Guatemala – Guatemala is campaigning for the second round of the August 20 elections, with progressive candidate Bernardo Arevalo set to face conservative Sandra Torres for the presidency.
But the race has been fraught with uncertainty since Arevalo advanced to the second round of voting.
He and his party, the Seed Movement, exceeded expectations in the June 25 general election, securing one of two second-round spots with surprisingly strong support.
But that has made the party a target for scrutiny — and possible election interference.
Rival parties called for a review of the vote count, leading a court to suspend the June 25 election results until the review was complete.
When the assessment finally confirmed Arevalo’s second place, forces within the government also threatened to derail his candidacy.
Earlier this month, one of Guatemala’s top prosecutors successfully appealed to a court to suspend legal recognition of the Seed Movement, citing irregularities in the signatures collected to form the party.
Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, the country’s highest judicial authority, eventually reversed the decision, saying the courts and prosecutors could not intervene and suspend a party during the election cycle.
But the prosecution has raided the offices of the Seed Movement and removed crates of documents marked “evidence”.
Prosecutors also raided other election-related government offices, including the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and the National Citizen Registry, which hold party-related documents.
That these actions were spearheaded by officials previously accused of corruption has contributed to concerns about election integrity. The United States previously sanctioned Guatemalan Attorney General María Consuelo Porras for using her position “to protect its political allies and gain improper political favor”.
In Guatemala City, Al Jazeera spoke to residents on Tuesday about the current political crisis — and the uncertainty they feel ahead of the Aug. 20 runoff.
Oscar Antonio Garcia, 43, piñata maker living in Guatemala City
“The situation is bad. There is a lot of corruption.”
When asked if he will vote in the second round: “Honestly, no. Because it will just be the same again. The people in power now are evil.
“What is happening is that corruption comes from within. There is no trust. There is no trust in anyone [politician]because corruption comes from within.”
Irma Ixcaya, 35, student from San Pablo la Laguna, who lives in Guatemala City
“There is confusion. They create confusion. Because the truth is I don’t know if the crimes [the Seed Movement is accused of] invented or if the person actually did it. I hope, as the law says, that no one is guilty after proven guilty. And why are they only examining one side and not both?
“There is a lot of uncertainty about whether the elections will happen or if they won’t. So yeah, it’s a bit confusing because what they’re trying to do is remove someone so that person can’t participate, which they can’t do.”
Edgar Ixquiak, 62, businessman from Guatemala City
“It has always been bad here, but now it is worse because there is no change in the [political] structure. I have lived in this situation since I was a child.
“[These elections] are a farce.
“This year has been bad. I was about to close two companies because there was no way out. I was extorted and then the economic situation deteriorated.”
Silvia de la Cruz, 54, antiques salesman from Guatemala City
“The truth is that I feel that impunity continues here in Guatemala, and the same group of people who manipulate [politics] continue to do their best in the elections. Really, what is happening is not democracy. They violate the constitution, the laws and our rights as citizens.
“I have to participate [in the second round of voting] because I don’t want the same corruption pact. We must vote so that we can carry out the will of the people, so that democracy continues, because this becomes a circle of people working only for themselves with no benefit to the rest of the bourgeoisie.
“The party that came in second place [the Seed Movement] is the most viable option for Guatemala so that democracy continues and justice is done. Because we as a people cannot continue with so much corruption and so much violence.”
Kristine Cutz, 54, fruit and vegetable vendor from San Juan Comalapa
“Those in power now just steal everything and support the rich. Those who suffer are we, the poor.
“The [rich] does not want someone new to come to power. They use violence so that one of them has to stay in power so that we remain in the same situation we are in now. And that’s why people don’t want anymore [the status quo]. We want change because we are tired of so much robbery.
“We will see a change if [Arevalo] remains. We must have hope. We need change.”