Guatemala’s Arevalo says state using violence to counter protests, warns of possible ‘siege’
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters Guatemala’s President-elect Bernardo Arevalo said on Monday the government is using violence to counter protests and create tension which could be used as an excuse for declaring a state of “siege,” even as the government announced tighter measures. Ongoing protests entered their eighth straight day on Monday, with Guatemalans taking to the […]
Guatemala protests intensify, demanding prosecutor resignations
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters Tens of thousands of Guatemalans marched peacefully on Thursday for the fourth consecutive day, demanding the resignation of powerful senior prosecutors accused of working to undermine President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s ability to take office. The centre-left Arevalo was elected in a landslide win in August, but since then Attorney General Consuelo Porras has […]
US says Guatemala ministry is interfering in election transition of power
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters The US State Department said on Sunday it is “gravely concerned” that Guatemala’s Public Ministry is trying to undermine the transfer of power to President-elect Bernardo Arevalo, who recorded a landslide victory in August. The ministry, which functions similar to the attorney general in other countries, raided the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on […]
Analysis – Emergence of Guatemalan anti-graft champion shakes up election
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters Guatemalans fed up with persistent graft scandals on Sunday catapulted an unheralded anti-corruption candidate into a run-off for the presidency, raising hopes of a renewed drive to clean up the government after years of frustration. Bernardo Arevalo, an ex-diplomat and son of former President Juan Jose Arevalo, defied poll forecasts to finish […]
Latin America’s anti-corruption strength slips, ranking shows
Mexico City, MexicoReuters An index evaluating Latin American countries’ ability to root out corruption showed most countries moving backward, according to the ranking released on Tuesday. The 2023 Capacity to Combat Corruption Index, published jointly by Americas Society/Council of the Americas and Control Risks, points to a decline in the region’s average score for the […]
Guatemala election heads for run-off, leftists in lead amid voter anger
Guatemala City, GuatemalaReuters Guatemalans voted for a new president on Sunday in an election headed for an August run-off, with early results putting the centre-left in the lead but also appearing to show widespread voter frustration over the exclusion of an early favourite. The contest, dominated by international concern over corruption, will have to be […]
Fed up with graft, Guatemalans face familiar names in presidential vote
Guatemala CityReuters Guatemala holds a presidential election on Sunday with voters clamouring for a government that can tackle corruption, inflation and violence, though no candidate is expected to secure enough votes to win outright, setting the scene for a run-off. Polling points to a close contest between former First Lady Sandra Torres, conservative career diplomat […]
Mexican officials find 175 migrants in truck near southern border
Mexico City, MexicoReuters Mexican authorities found 175 migrants, mostly from Guatemala, crowded into a truck trailer in the southern state of Chiapas, the National Migration Institute (INM) said on Friday, in the latest mass human smuggling incident to be detected in the country. Immigration agents heard yells and banging coming from inside the vehicle when […]
US must stem “iron river” of guns flowing to Latin America, activists say
Reuters US guns, many of them exported legally, are flowing into Latin America in an “iron river” ending in the hands of drug cartels and abusive security forces, activists said Monday, calling for greater oversight from US law and federal agencies. More than half of “crime guns” recovered and traced in Central America are sourced […]
Mexican President vows to deliver justice for migrants killed in fire
Updated: 1pm (AEDT)Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Reuters Migrants were locked in a cell as a blaze spread killing 39 people at a detention centre in Mexico, witnesses and a survivor said on Wednesday, as Mexico’s President vowed to bring to justice those responsible. An investigation is underway to determine what happened Monday at the centre in […]