Lessons from Guatemala for Venezuela’s Electoral Odyssey
The lessons from Guatemala echo loudly: even if free and fair elections are held, a transition of power is not a straightforward process. The international community’s role in facilitating an effective transition in Venezuela becomes paramount.
The OAS and a Veiled Coup Attempt in Guatemala
The actions by the Permanent Council and the Secretary General demonstrate the continuing validity of the OAS and its Democratic Charter as the principal instruments for the defense of democracy in the Americas. They also confirm the collective commitment to ensuring electoral integrity in Member States through electoral observation missions (EOM).
La oportunidad de renovar la relación bilateral EE.UU.-Guatemala a través de la lucha contra la corrupción
La aplastante victoria de Bernardo Arévalo en la segunda vuelta de las recientes elecciones presidenciales de Guatemala ha sido la más clara señal de rechazo del pueblo guatemalteco hacia la actual clase política.
A Watershed Moment for Guatemala’s Democracy? Part 2
Guatemala’s 2023 electoral process will most likely dodge a bullet, and the presidential runoff election between Bernardo Arévalo of SEMILLA (Movimiento Semilla) and Sandra Torres of UNE (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza) will take place on August 20, 2023. The runoff campaign itself will be highly polarized, and in the broader picture, there are huge challenges ahead for governability in the short-run and for Guatemala’s democracy in the long-run.
A Watershed Moment for Guatemala’s Democracy? Part 1
When Guatemalans went to the polls on election day on June 25, 2023, the electoral process itself had been questioned nationally and internationally because of the exclusion of three presidential candidates… However, turnout was not the biggest surprise on election day. More remarkable were the choices made by Guatemalan voters, which stunned the Guatemalan political establishment as well as domestic and international observers.
A Global Americans Review of Escaping the Governance Trap
According to Shenai, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala are entangled in a governance trap, which he defines as “a path-dependent equilibrium in which weak states with contested authority fail to penetrate civil society and achieve self-sustaining economic growth
Guatemala Cracks Down on the Press
Last Friday, Guatemalan authorities arrested journalist José Rubén Zamora at his home in Guatemala City for alleged money laundering, blackmail, and influence peddling.
Xiomara Castro: An Unlikely U.S. Partner
U.S. leaders have taken exactly the right approach with the new leader of Honduras, welcoming Castro as a partner to resolve the root causes of migration.
USAID in Central America: Less Is Better
Policymakers argue that more aid money will reduce the incentive to emigrate, while remaining stubbornly oblivious to the fact that past money did not fulfill its promise to do the same.
Why Might Taiwan’s Allies in Latin America and the Caribbean Soon Look to China?
Supportive rhetoric carries little weight in the face of economic challenges and countries’ objectives. Four key factors can incentivize a country to engage with China.