2007 Guatemalan Elections
“It is election time in Guatemala and that means rallies and banners — and body bags.” – New York TimesPersonally, I think it’s a pretty exciting time here in Guatemala….except maybe if you are a politician. But what can you expect from a young democracy with a long history of political violence…
There are two electoral rounds coming up – The first round is on September 9th, and this race includes Congress and all local mayors or representatives. The second round is on October 28th, consisting only of the presidential election. Unlike our beloved country, Guatemala has a high number of candidates and very low party cohesion. (There are about 25 different political parties, and new ones seem to crop up on a continuous basis.) Entonces, the field is wide open at this point. Parties will unite behind the top two candidates after the first round. If no candidate for President gets 50 percent plus one, then there is a runoff between the top two vote getters.
So right now we are in the middle of lots of political rallies, candidate processions, and debates. The radio that I work for has been holding community forums every Sunday for the past month – first, to get all of the candidates together and let the public ask questions, and second; to let all the political parties present their individual proposals. We held the first voter poll this past Sunday…but it turned out to be quite a joke. People were calling in under fake names and basically using the free air-time for propaganda purposes.
As I have mentioned before, I am working with La Oficina de La Mujer (the Office for Women) that is a part of the municipality here in Nahuala. One of our main concerns is that whoever wins mayor of Nahuala will support our office and our respective proposals and goals moving forward. Unfortunately, we do not at the moment have much support from our current mayor. During the next couple of weeks, we will be holding two workshops for the women living in the surrounding communities, to explain the voting process, how to fill out the form, what issues to pay attention to, etc. Most women do not know how to read or write, so just learning how to vote is vitally important. But we also want to try and communicate the importance of really looking at the candidates’ platform and how they plan to support women specifically…and then supporting those candidates that do hold interest in increasing women’s participation and equality. (We made visits to each of one of the Nahuala candidates, asking for a public forum for women only…but each one shot us down and said they didn’t have time. So, much to my surprise, the women in my group and I attended one of the male forums, and they actually got up the nerve to ask direct questions in front of a full audience of men…pretty impressive!)
You can assume that the elections here are pretty corrupt…but really, what isn’t in this country? First off, government resources are typically used in campaigns. Second, pre-campaign giveaways are common – fertilizer, credits, food, tools, etc. Hell, one guy in the eastern part of the country even offered up land! Third, the press usually shows bias towards particular candidates. Fourth, lots of families run against each other…to make sure someone gets in office. (Of course, none of this would be evident if it weren’t for the sleazy guys that are actually running for office or the fear factor from outside influences; such as the drug lords that seem to control our prison system.)
“In the campaigning leading up to elections on Sept. 9, the authorities have reported 61 violent attacks on candidates and political activists. The death toll is 26, including seven national congressmen and numerous other office seekers.” – New York Times
This statistic continues to rise….just last week, the current mayor in a neighbouring department was assassinated on the municipality steps. In Chimaltenango, there have been a handful of lynchings (FYI – lynching here translates to burning them to death and then leaving their bodies in a public place). In addition, popular candidates are backed financially by drug lords that use violence and force to get what they want. And then you also have to worry about local gangs, smugglers, and military groups getting in the way….for instance, my host dad in Nahuala was shot in the stomach this week by a local gang member supporting an opposing candidate. I’m not saying that we don’t have these kinds of occurrences on a regular basis…but it seems that the campaign season has upped the number. That being said, and with a murder rate at around 6,000 deaths a year, security is definitely one of the prime issues for this year’s election.
*Just as a side note, one of the candidates running for the position of President is Rigoberta Menchú, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work during the period of La Violencia. She would be the first woman and the first indigenous person to serve as President. However, cool as that is, I don’t think she stands much of a chance…I got one word for ya, MACHISMO.
One of the most surprising facets to me in this year’s election is the resurgence of Ríos Montt, a former dictator who is running for a congressional seat. This man fled to Mexico following the civil war, because of arrest warrants from both the US and Spain for a history of violating human rights. Now he’s back in Guatemala and expected to win, which means he could avoid charges altogether. You gotta ask, who is voting for a guy that lays claim to practically the deadliest years of that unforgettable period?
So on September 9th, what will I be doing? Well, I have been warned to stay at home…but have decided that I am going to go with the Radio to observe the elections in one of the more rural areas of Guatemala where there is not much civic participation. Who knows, maybe I will see first-hand some of the common practices of: serving alcohol in bars during elections, money for votes, quid-pro-quo voting for bus rides to the municipal agreements, campaigning on buses by means of distribution of gifts, etc. I just hope that one of the candidates in Nahuala – who evidently used to be a teacher and would only pass his female students if they slept with him – doesn’t take the prize…
posted by Carin Robinson @ 7:26 AM
