Guatemala court suspends opposition party, casting doubt over presidential run-off vote
By Merlin Delcid and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN
(CNN) — A Guatemalan court has suspended the party of one of the candidates in next month’s presidential run-off election, raising questions over the vote.
In a video posted on the Twitter account of the Guatemalan Public Ministry, Rafael Curruchich, the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI) said they are investigating Movimiento Semilla for allegedly falsifying citizens signatures.
Movimiento Semilla is the party of opposition candidate Bernardo Arévalo. He came second behind former first lady Sandra Torres in last month’s vote, preliminary results showed. The two are due to face off in a run-off election on August 20.
A host of other candidates were blocked from running ahead of the first round of voting, sparking accusations of political meddling against the country’s electoral court and concern from the United States and other Western powers.
The FECI investigation established at least 12 deceased people registered by Movimiento Semilla, according to Curruchich.
He said in the video message that the party paid a total of approximately US$22,000 in exchange for 5,000 signatures with the aim of reaching the minimum necessary to become a political party and participate in elections.
Speaking to CNN en Español, Arévalo insisted he would still contest the run-off.
“In no way will we obey a spurious and illegal decision like the one that has been issued by that court thanks to the action of a prosecutor who has been deeply committed to corruption and is an operator of these corrupt political elites,” he said.
“And it’s evident that it does not have any legal support.”
Guatemala has struggled with corruption and poor governance. It has the largest economy in Central America yet is the second-highest source country for migrants encountered at the US border, US figures show.
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