[NYTr] Guatemala's Violent, Fraudulent, Nearly All-Male Elections

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

See also recent articles:

Guatemala: No Such Thing as a Peaceful Election - Aug 10, 2007
https://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20070813/066774.html

EU to Send Observers to Guatemala - Aug 14, 2007
https://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/Week-of-Mon-20070813/066793.html


Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Guatemalan Parties Violate Rules

Guatemala, Aug 25 (Prensa Latina) Guatemalan political parties are currently using deceitful methods to violate limits established in the campaign expenses, according to a report revealed by the "Mirador Electoral" civil organization.

Despite the law establishing a maximum of 42 million quetzals (about $6
million) for each group, they do not keep to this in practice due to
little authority by the Supreme Electoral Court and low penalties on
offenders.

A study carried out between June 1 and August 9 proved that the most favored party is the Guatemalan Republican Front, by former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, with 2.7 million quetzals ($360.000).

Followed is the party "Union del Cambio Nacionalista," with 660 quetzals ($88,000) and the Unionist Party with 601,000 quetzals ($80,000), although most of parties are included in the list.

Nearly 16 political groups are expected to participate in the September 9 elections, to elect the country"s president and vice president, as well as 158 mayors and 332 municipal governments.

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Guatemala Lacks Women Candidates

Guatemala, Aug 25 (Prensa Latina) Participation of Guatemalan women for posts in the current elections slightly increased although it is still very below expectations of the sector.

Although women are a majority in the population, only 12.6% are part of the 29,821 candidates registered for posts in the September 9 elections.

"There are more candidates but there is still not a full opening up for women," explained women s leader Sandra Moran, and added "that where there is advancement it has been the result of strong battles."

Moran noted the work of parties such as Encuentro por Guatemala and Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca that backed Rigoberta Menchu and Walda Barrios, for the presidency and vice presidency, respectively.

She said that is was very important that Menchu, a representative of the indigenous population, aspire for the first time to lead the future of the nation.

Due to a low number of candidates, men will occupy the majority of municipal, departmental and national posts.

Currently, only 14 women hold seats in Congress that has a total of 158 members while, on a municipal level, only 8 women are mayors out of a total of 332.

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BBC News - Aug 24, 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6963167.stm

EU alarm at Guatemala violence

By Emilio San Pedro
BBC News

International election monitors in Guatemala have said they are
deeply concerned over the murders of political candidates and
activists.

The Central American country will hold congressional and presidential 
elections on 9 September.

At least 42 people have been killed in what has been described as 
election-related violence this year.

However, prosecutors warn that it is not entirely clear if the killings 
have all been politically motivated.

The deputy head of the team of European Union election monitors in 
Guatemala, Spain's Jose Antonio de Gabriel, said his delegation was 
concerned that the violence would have a detrimental effect on the 
election and could tarnish the final result.

He also pointed out that the number of political murders in this 
election campaign in Guatemala had surpassed the total number of 
killings during the 2003 campaign.

Violent climate

Twenty-eight people were killed in that campaign in what were described 
as politically-motivated killings.

This time the number has increased by 50% and Mr de Gabriel said he was 
worried that the number could rise even further - as the first round of 
the presidential election is still more than two weeks away.

His comments follow the killing earlier this week of the teenage 
daughter of a Congressional candidate.

Prosecutors said they found the 14 year old girl's body in the trunk of 
an abandoned car, along with the bodies of two other people.

Her father, Hector Montenegro of the National Union of Hope Party, the 
favourite to win the election, described the killing as a political 
attack but vowed not to abandon his campaign.

However, the Guatemalan Prosecutor General, Juan Luis Florido, said that 
given the violent climate in Guatemala, where about 16 are killed on 
average every day, it was still difficult to confirm that the killings 
were indeed politically-motivated.

He said his office was still investigating the murders. So far no-one 
has been arrested in connection with the killings, which have not been 
aimed exclusively at any of the leading political parties.