GENERAL ELECTIONS GUATEMALA 2019

After all. Guatemala decides ... #GeneralElectionsGuate

Virtual model and premilinar of the electoral ballot for presidential candidates. It should be noted that the figure of Edwin Escobar and Maurio Ranford no longer appear by legal order. Photo: Prensa Libre, Juan Jose Garrido

The general elections in Guatemala will take place next Sunday, June 16, where 19 political organizations competing for the presidency of the republic will participate.

The electoral elections arrive to their date after an electoral political panorama agitated by the resolutions issued by the Constitutional Court -CC- that left out several presidential binomials.

Two of the organizations that represented the closest competition between the National Unity of Hope party -UNE-, led by former first lady Sandra Torres, who leads the polls; They were out of contention after the CC dictated against them.

The candidacy of Zury Ríos (daughter of former head of state, Efraín Ríos Mont), promoted by the VALOR Party, showed an intention to vote of 15.9%, being the strongest opponent of Sandra Torres, was annulled by CC indicating that there is constitutional matter to deny registration as a candidate for president.

Article 186 of the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala indicates that the relatives of the caudillo or heads of coup in the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity may not aspire to the office of President of the Republic.

Efraín Ríos Mont, is considered to have taken power by force in 1983.

In the same way, the candidacy of the ex-attorney general, Thelma Aldana, did not proceed after the magistrates of the Constitutional Court admitted an appeal for amparo that alleged the lack of a Proof of inexistence of claim of charges, known as "settlement".

Aldana represented a good part of the electorate with 9.5% of the voters. Despite the support provided by the SEMILLA Movement Political Party, Thelma Aldana failed to enter the electoral contest and now faces an international arrest warrant for the alleged crimes of embezzlement for continued abduction, ideological falsehood and special cases of tax fraud.

With this turbolence and decisions of the courts of justice of the country, the electoral process will be carried out with the presidential candidates still in contention, these being:

Sandra Torres, of the UNE Party, with an intention to vote of 21%; Alejandro Giamattei, of the VAMOS Party with 13%; Roberto Arzú, from the PAN-PODEMOS coalition, with 9%; while candidates Edmont Mulet of the Humanista Party and Thelma Cabrera, representative of indigenous peoples -MLP-continue to grow in the surveys, entering the top 5, according to the latest survey conducted by the brand PO CID-Gallup.

On June the 5th, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal -TSE- notified two other candidates that their candidacies did not proceed either.

Magistrados del Tribunal Supremo Electoral -TSE- encargados
  de velar por un proceso electoral transparente. Foto: TSE

Meanwhile the TSE prepares all the inputs to carry out the electoral process where at least 8 million people registered in Guatemala and some Guatemalan citizens living abroad will participate, who will be called to vote for the first time.

Also, the TSE issued a document today indicating the possible places in the country where there could be some type of conflict during the elections and asked authorities of the Ministry of the Interior to watch for the deployment of police elements to safeguard a peaceful electoral process.

Journalist: @AmosGonzález
#GuatemalaCity