Historic Choices – A deep look at Guatemala’s Aug 20th Presidential Elections

You can view the webcast here:

Guatemala’s June 25th (first round) elections surprised pundits who had expected a sweep by right wing forces who had tilted the electoral playing field by cracking down on free speech and dissent – jailing journalists and sending others into exile. Nevertheless, a relatively new party called Semillas that had emerged from the student-led mobilization of 2015 and 2016 emerged in second place, stunning even its own party activists and putting their candidate, Bernardo Arévalo (son of Guatemala’s first ever democratically elected president), into contention for run-off elections scheduled for August 20th. Challenges emerged immediately as conservative elements of the power structures that have ruled Guatemala for decades sought to use their influence over the country’s judiciary to discredit the election tally – but to date those efforts have failed and Guatemala looks to be headed toward an August 20th runoff. To deepen our understanding of what is happening and what may be in store during next month’s final election round we are holding a webcast (in English) with former Guatemalan Congresswoman Sandra Moran and researcher Megan Thomas. Ted Lewis, Global Exchange co-Executive Director will host the conversation.