The following article was written by Mayte Elizalde, Jesús de la Torre, Luke Monnich, Sofia Gomez and Paola Hernandez on August 15, 2023. It was originally published by Frontera Dispatch, a part of the HOPE Border Institute.
Guatemala has become a vital partner in the US strategy to manage migration beyond its borders. This Sunday, more than 5.5 million Guatemalans will have an opportunity to cast their ballot in a critical presidential election that could have decisive impacts on both migration and migration policy in the region.
Bernardo Arévalo, from the Semilla Party, will face off against Sandra Torres, from the UNE party. Torres is a well-known face in the country, given her former role as first lady of a corrupt president. Arévalo was a lesser known candidate who had spent his life between diplomacy and academia. To everyone’s surprise, Arévalo made it to the presidential run-off.
For many, Arévalo’s reformist and anti-corruption agenda offers hope to start reversing entrenched corruption, which has forced prosecutors, judges, journalists and human rights activists into exile. Yet, many fear that the “Pact of the Corrupt” may attempt to subvert popular will.
International solidarity is important to support civil and faith-based grassroots efforts defending democracy in the country, as our research fellow, Jesús de la Torre, explains in El Paso Matters. For this reason, our Root Causes Initiative is organizing an international delegation to the country to witness the elections
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