STATEMENT: INTERNATIONAL FAITH DELEGATION ACCOMPANIES GUATEMALA DURING ELECTIONS

The Root Causes Initiative, at the invitation of His Eminence Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini and its Guatemalan partners, organized a delegation of faith leaders from the United States, Mexico and Honduras to accompany the people of Guatemala in their struggle for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

From August 17-22, the delegation has accompanied local community members and religious and civic leaders to better understand the social and political landscape; visited polling stations in areas of Guatemala City and in the Department of San Marcos to get a sense of whether the elections were being conducted in a fair and transparent manner; and processed our experience and election results with our pro-democracy partners.

As a result of our observation and accompaniment we can conclude that:

• For the first time in decades, an election generated profound hope among the people, which was present in every conversation we held in the communities we visited.
• Among other actors, such as young people, the faith communities of Guatemala, through political formation and forceful public statements, have been key to defending a transparent electoral process and the active, responsible participation of voters.
• The run-off election between the Movimiento Semilla led by Bernardo Arévalorty, and Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE), led by Sandra Torres, was conducted peacefully and in an atmosphere of relative calm.
• Arevalo’s victory, in which he captured 2.3 million votes, is indisputable. He received almost 60% of the votes cast and registered almost one million votes more than his opponent. Guatemalan society has very explicitly expressed its desire for political and economic change in favor of a government that tackles corruption, promotes basic democratic principles such as the separation of powers, and designs and implements welfare policies that especially support the most disadvantaged.
• The fear that Guatemala’s corrupt political, economic and military elite will go against the will of the people is real. The losing candidate and her party have not conceded defeat, despite recognition of the president-elect by the current president of Guatemala and other international leaders. Social movement leaders have also highlighted the likelihood.that the Semilla Movement will face baseless criminal cases and that the president and elected deputies will be the targets of harassment, including death threats, until they are sworn in.

Given this reality, we urge the international community to remain vigilant in the face of these possible attacks and to act with the greatest possible forcefulness should they occur. Thus, we are calling for:

1. The United States, the Organization of American States, the European Union and other international actors to demonstrate publicly, as they have already done in their respective statements recognizing President-elect Arévalo, and in private that they are on the side of the Guatemalan people and that the election results must be respected.
2. The U.S., OAS, EU and other international actors should consider significant legal and financial consequences for those within the Guatemalan political, economic and criminal elite who continue to pursue the disruption of the peaceful transfer of power and the reform of legal, judicial and economic structures.
3. The international community should provide continued political and economic support to the Arevalo government in its work to promote democracy, the rule of law and human rights in Guatemala.

Only with collaboration among the people, the future Arévalo administration and the accompaniment of the international community will the people of Guatemala be able to achieve a “New Spring” that will allow them to imagine a future in which they can thrive in their home communities, without being forced to migrate.

Brenda Peralta, Coordinator Root Causes Initiative Guatemala, Guatemala
Irene Cruz, Vincentian Family International, Guatemala
Marina Sapalú, Communities of Faith Organized in Action, Guatemala
Father Ismael Moreno, SJ, Radio Progreso-ERIC, Honduras
Christopher Ljungquist, International Policy Advisor, Committee on International Justice and
Peace, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USA
Michele Dunne, Executive Director, Franciscan Action Network, USA
Martín Coria, Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Church World Service Pastor Miguel Ortiz, Director, Como Nacido entre Nosotros Network, Mexico
Jesús de la Torre, Research Fellow, Hope Border Institute, USA/Spain
Joseph Fleming, Senior Advisor, Faith in Action, USA

The Root Causes Initiative is a network of faith-based and grassroots organizations and religious leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, the U.S. working to resolve the underlying conditions forcing people to migrate from Central America. The Root Causes Initiative’s Platform for sustainable and equitable development, human rights, and humane treatment of migrants is supported by 340 organizations and religious leaders across the region.

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