Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Guatemala elections show corruption rampant four years after uprising toppled president
Source: The Guardian
Guatemala elections show corruption rampant four years after uprising toppled president
Backlash against anti-corruption efforts will have real consequences as Guatemala heads to the polls on Sunday
Nina Lakhani in Guatemala City
Thu 13 Jun 2019 07.30 BST Last modified on Thu 13 Jun 2019 17.18 BST
As day broke over Guatemala’s national palace on 3 September 2015, Gabriel Wer celebrated what promised to be a new dawn for Guatemala.
The president, the former civil war general Otto Pérez Molina, had – along with most of his government – been forced to resign by an unprecedented wave of weekly anti-corruption protests that morphed into a popular uprising.
“We did it – the people did it – and it felt like a new start,” said Wer, 37, co-founder of the #JusticiaYa (JusticeNow) movement which spearheaded the demonstrations. “We knew the whole system had to change – not just a few politicians. But honestly, it felt like we’d started the Central American spring.”
Four years on, as Guatemala heads to the polls to elect a new president, vice-president, 158 congress members and 340 mayors, fears are growing that winter is coming.
Crucial reforms to clean up the country’s politics and justice system have been thwarted by Congress and courts in a coordinated pushback plotted from the military-run Mariscal prison where elite crime bosses including Pérez Molina are detained.
-snip-
Backlash against anti-corruption efforts will have real consequences as Guatemala heads to the polls on Sunday
Nina Lakhani in Guatemala City
Thu 13 Jun 2019 07.30 BST Last modified on Thu 13 Jun 2019 17.18 BST
As day broke over Guatemala’s national palace on 3 September 2015, Gabriel Wer celebrated what promised to be a new dawn for Guatemala.
The president, the former civil war general Otto Pérez Molina, had – along with most of his government – been forced to resign by an unprecedented wave of weekly anti-corruption protests that morphed into a popular uprising.
“We did it – the people did it – and it felt like a new start,” said Wer, 37, co-founder of the #JusticiaYa (JusticeNow) movement which spearheaded the demonstrations. “We knew the whole system had to change – not just a few politicians. But honestly, it felt like we’d started the Central American spring.”
Four years on, as Guatemala heads to the polls to elect a new president, vice-president, 158 congress members and 340 mayors, fears are growing that winter is coming.
Crucial reforms to clean up the country’s politics and justice system have been thwarted by Congress and courts in a coordinated pushback plotted from the military-run Mariscal prison where elite crime bosses including Pérez Molina are detained.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/13/guatemala-election-corruption-creeps-in-again-four-years-after-uprising
