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Guatemala’s Constitutional Court rejected an appeal by conservative presidential candidate Carlos Pineda, who was cast off the ballot by electoral authorities on a technicality. It was the latest in a string of eliminations that has taken several strong contenders out of the running for the presidential election to be held in a month. (See last Tuesday’s post.)
The court rejected Roberto Azrú’s final appeals on Thursday, and previously ruled against Indigenous activist Thelma Cabrera, due to a paperwork issue with her running mate, former human rights ombudsman Jordan Rodas.
A fourth frontrunner, Edmond Mulet, also faces the possibility of exclusion, and is awaiting a decision from the court on his candidacy
“Some observers have accused Guatemala’s electoral authorities of using the judicial system to pare down the field to candidates acceptable to the establishment,” reports the Associated Press.
Juan Pappier, an official with Human Rights Watch, branded the moves as a "clear manipulation of the judiciary" to guarantee a preferred electoral result, reports Reuters.
The decision is “the latest sign of how the country’s deeply entrenched corruption networks leverage the judicial system to crush opponents,” reports InSight Crime. “Corrupt networks have steadily co-opted the main branches of Guatemala’s justice system in recent years, tightening their grip over the political and judicial sectors with the aim of maintaining the status quo of corruption and impunity.”
More Guatemala
On Friday, Guatemalan police arrested Stuardo Campos, a prosecutor focused on crimes against migrants who had previously worked on anti-corruption cases — its the latest in an ongoing crackdown by Guatemala’s judiciary against anti-corruption prosecutors and judges. (Al Jazeera)
Regional
Latin America’s vibrant media landscape contrasts with an opinion journalism scene stuck in the 20th century, writes journalist Boris Muñoz in the Wilson Center’s Weekly Asado. Among the many problems: “Collaboration between editors and opinion authors is not common, as most authors defend their articles as if they were sacred and untouchable. … This emotional and absurd tradition hinders collaboration and limits the quality of opinion content.”
Regional Relations
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he had a phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and reaffirmed his willingness to establish peace talks with both sides of the war in Ukraine, reports Reuters.
Brazil’s government announced Friday that a U.N. Latin America regional group has endorsed a Brazilian city in the Amazon region to host the 2025 U.N. climate change conference, reports the Associated Press.
Nicaragua
Nicaraguan police said they are investigating several dioceses of the Catholic Church for money laundering, a day after local media reported that the bank accounts of parishes in the Central American country had been frozen. (Reuters)
Peru
The InterAmerican Dialogue hosted a conversation on Peru at a crossroads, a debates on the country’s economic and political crisis, and human rights violations. (NTN24)
Migration
Mexico has responded to U.S. asylum policy changes with a crackdown on migrants traveling through the country, moves advocates say are adding to migrants’ confusion about the new U.S. immigration measures and their legal status in Mexico, reports the Miami Herald.
“Based on publicly available data, this study estimates that between 50 and 75 percent of all displaced Venezuelans have obtained some type of legal status in the 15 principal receiving countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,” according to a new Migration Policy Institute report on regional responses to Venezuelan migration. Nonetheless, “many Venezuelans still have precarious, short-term forms of legal status, and some have no legal status at all.” (via Americas Migration Brief.)
According to the Colombian attorney general’s office, 288 Venezuelans have been reported as victims of forced disappearances in Colombia since 2015, reports Al Jazeera.
Brazil
A game that allowed users to simulate owning enslaved people in 16th century Brazil unleashed a wave of backlash, and reignited a debate about regulation in digital spaces, reports the Washington Post.
Colombia
The recent murder of four Indigenous youths from Colombia’s Putumayo region, after being recruited by a dissident FARC group highlights the extent of forced recruitment of children by criminal groups, reports El País.
A group of urban activists are marking loose paving stones in Bogotá, warning pedestrians of hazards and hoping to shame local authorities into fixing sidewalks, reports the Guardian.
El Salvador
El Salvador’s government has started to reclaim derelict gang houses and turn them over to local residents, a new social housing plan to compliment the Bukele administration’s harsh security policy, reports the BBC.
Argentina
Despite an unstable economy and rampant inflation, Argentina records more immigration than emigration, with over 3 million immigrants in the country currently, reports the Buenos Aires Times. (via Americas Migration Brief)
Uruguay
Uruguay’s water reserves are strained to the maximum by an ongoing drought — Montevideo has just a few days supply. Authorities have started adding water from the Rio de la Plata, pushing the amount of sodium in the tap water to 421 milligrams per liter, 50 percent more than Uruguay’s previous authorized limit and 10 times the system’s historic levels. (Washington Post)
Chile
Ahead of Henry Kissinger’s 100th birthday, the National Security Archive has published a selection of declassified documents that illustrate the ‘darker side’ of the former U.S. Secretary of State, reports El País.