For those of you who have been following the events in Guatemalan politics, you may have seen the reporting in the English-speaking press that César Bernardo Arévalo de León has, for all appearances sake, won the run-off on August 20th for Guatemalan President. He defeated third-time candidate (and former first lady) Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova by numbers that indicate a landslide. Arévalo is the son of the first democratically-elected President in Guatemala: Juan José Arévalo Bermejo in 1944. The late Arévalo and his successor, Juan Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán, both fled Guatemala after the USA-backed coup d'état in 1954. (Arévalo left voluntarily in 1956 and his son Bernardo was born in Uruguay in 1958.)
Some English-writing commentators have broken out many figures-of-speech that play on Arévalo’s party name: Movimiento Semilla (translated as The Seed Movement). Whether this is the seed of something new and wonderful in Guatemala remains to be seen but it certainly is a rebuke to the current infrastructure in a state controlled by corruption and oppressive business interests.
Right now, my thoughts are on Tijuana, Mexico (home to many family members), Baja California, Mexico and Southern California, USA (including my USA home of 35 years: San Diego) in their recovery efforts following the tropical storm this last weekend. (My wife and I had flown to Mérida, Yucatán, México for my work and remain here until Wednesday though my daughter and her family — including my grandson who turns 1 on Friday — have been watching over our home in my absence.) Our family, our friends and our community will be with those who are recovering from this devastating disaster.
The last week in Guatemala had a number of twists that I will report out later, including a raucous debate last Monday and other campaign hijinks.
No one should believe that the election is settled. Señora Torres, President Giammattei, the Giammattei administration (including judges they have appointed) and ‘concerned’ elites will have their chance(s) to stop Arévalo’s inauguration as well as his incoming administration’s plans and proposals. Even Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has weighed in — and he is no friend of open society, democracy or human rights.
The last week in Guatemala had a number of twists that I will report out here to those with an interest in both Central American politics and those who follow movements all over the world that seek to upend the dominant paradigm.
Stand by!