Surely This Could Only Happen In Guatemala?
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In what would appear to be a plot for a B Movie the constitutional court of Guatemala may be about to bar the top three candidates from running in the Presidential Elections scheduled for 16th June.
It has already barred one of the frontrunners Zury Ríos, the daughter of ex-military ruler Efraín Ríos Montt, from running for the presidency on the basis that Guatemala’s constitution bars close relatives of coup leaders from serving as president.
To be fair Ríos Montt’s rule in the 1980s was brutal almost beyond belief with whole Mayan villages being slaughtered during the civil war. He was accused of ordering the killing of more than 1,700 ethnic Mayans, and he was found guilty of genocide charges but that ruling was later thrown out by Guatemala’s high court. He died aged 91 on 1 April 2018, before a retrial could be completed.
Zury Ríos was the right-wing candidate for the Valor (Courage) party and the polls had her among the top three candidates, along with former first lady Sandra Torres and the former attorney general, Thelma Aldana. However, both face being barred also with Ms Aldana is facing charges of embezzlement, lying and tax fraud, while Ms Torres is under investigation for alleged illicit campaign funding, which she denies. The constitutional court is expected to make a decision in both these cases within the next few days.
If that wasn’t embarrassing enough a further presidential candidate, Mario Estrada was recently arrested in the US on suspicion of conspiring to import cocaine to the US. So that’s four candidates potentially barred and there is still a few weeks to go before the polls open – will there be anyone left to vote for?
