A car caravan moves along Avenida de las Americas in Guatemala City. While the drivers honk their horns, the occupants – heads of adults, teenagers, children and dogs – jump euphorically out of the windows. The scene is repeated on the outskirts of the Hotel Las Américas – the spot chosen by Guatemala’s President-elect Bernardo Arévalo to await the results of the elections – in the Plaza del Obelisco in the capital and in other cities across the country. There are shouts from all sides: “You can see it, you can feel it, Bernardo Presidente!” and “Yes, it was possible!”, there are fireworks, an emblem of the Seed movement and t-shirts with the slogan “Uncle Bernie’s nephew”, as his younger followers call the leader of this party. Above all, there are many blue and white flags, the national colors.
In Guatemala on Sunday night, not only the surprising victory of the progressive Arévalo, a candidate who two months ago did not even appear on the electoral rolls, was celebrated, but also a new chance to save the country from the clutches of corruption This has wreaked havoc on everything for decades and has been accompanied by an authoritarian upsurge in recent years.
One of those celebrating with the colors of Guatemala is Javier Quintana, 28, a call center worker who just lost his job. While he’s delighted with Semilla’s victory, what he’s really hoping for is Guatemala improving. For this reason, he says, he does not wave the party’s flag, but that of the country. “We hope they can help us from the government to improve, but the whole country. We long for recovery,” he told EL PAÍS at El Obelisco, a monument commemorating Central American independence, around midnight . “Bernardo Arévalo’s victory creates the illusion that we have all our needs covered, health, education, medicine for the elderly,” he says.
Bernardo Arévalo and Karin Herrera celebrate their victory in the second round of the presidential elections. PILAR OLIVARES (Portal)
About 750 meters away, just in front of Hotel Las Américas, Damiana Buc, 65, and her family are delighted to hear Arévalo speaking from the balcony a few hours after confirming their win over former Primera Lady Sandra Torres. Thank you for not losing hope! Thank you for not giving in to the corrupt! Thank you for not giving in to fear!” said the President-elect to the hundreds of citizens waiting for him. His team preferred that he not take to the streets for safety reasons, but wanted to thank those who had cheered him on from outside. “We have faith in him and we hope that they will react now because many people are very upset about what is happening in the country: a lot of violence and corruption,” says Buc, originally from Chimaltenango and resident of Santa Catarina Pinula metropolitan area of Ciudad de Guatemala, where he runs a tortilla shop.
The woman, who is a mother of eight, says she has supported Semilla since the last term in part because it represents a facelift of the old faces of the usual politicians in Congress. “I would ask Arévalo to give young people jobs because my children have just left school and there is no work. “I didn’t allow them to go to the United States because you can see what’s happening,” the woman says, referring to the common tragedies among the tens of thousands of Guatemalan migrants who try to find a chance in the north of their country each year find does not give them. Country.
The youngest of his daughters, Julissa, 24, is also celebrating after voting for Arévalo in the second election of her life. But he says his support for the Seed movement isn’t a blank check. “We trusted others and they all failed us. We are confident that he will bring about the change that Guatemala needs to recover from all this corruption that is destroying our country,” he affirmed. But he warns that citizens need facts, not just words. “We will be vigilant and when it comes time to protest for something that we are not happy with, so that they all take us into account, we will do it because those responsible are the people.” ” he says.
Damiana Buc and her daughter Julissa arrived at Hotel Las Américas in Guatemala City to celebrate the victory of Bernardo Arévalo.Carlos Herrera
Nearby, the corn seller Candelaria Sunún posted her cart in front of the Hotel Las Américas. The width of his smile and the power of his laugh when speaking to customers revealed who he had voted for. “I was already home when I saw Arévalo’s embassy in Guatevisión, and since there were so many people, we brought the sale; Something we won and even looked at.”
The celebrations were repeated across the country. In the capital of the department of Quetzaltenango, they celebrated the triumph of Arévalo with concerts, fireworks and cheers from the citizens. In the center of the country, in Nebaj, the Ixil people lit firecrackers from the heart of one of the regions that were victims of the genocide in Guatemala during the government of Efraín Ríos Montt. They also celebrated in Totonicapán. The indigenous authorities of this department, organized in 48 cantons, are key political actors, able to call large demonstrations demanding rights and denouncing violations, as seen in this campaign during the judicial harassment of the electoral authorities and have done the seed movement.
The corn seller and supporter of Semilla Candelaria Sunún celebrated Bernardo Arévalo’s victory in front of the Hotel Las Américas this Sunday in Guatemala City. Carlos Herrera
A “New Spring”
“It gives us great satisfaction from what they hear, what we see, the reports of fireworks, of people celebrating with flags. “That’s what happens when a football team wins, and that doesn’t happen in an election,” Arévalo said at a press conference around 10 p.m. The massive citizens’ celebrations were reminiscent of the 2015 anti-corruption demonstrations in Plaza de la Constitución, to which citizens turned out in anger and outrage. On this August 20th, people met again, but this time it was the turn of happiness, euphoria and hope, which eight years ago sown a seed that now seems to be germinating.
In his speech, the son of President Juan José Arévalo (1945 to 1951) was reacting to the fact that there were hardly any Semilla flags at the celebrations, a movement that ran a different campaign, with far fewer resources than at the traditional games , which led to lower investments in posters and promotional items. At many events, the specimens present were made by the supporters themselves. “It’s not a celebration of the party, it’s a celebration of the people,” Arévalo justified, before insisting on a message of reconciliation, an aspect for which the diplomat is credited. Karen [Herrera, la vicepresidenta electa] and I raised the Guatemalan flag. We no longer have Seed because we realize that our job is to work for all Guatemalans. It fills us with excitement because we hope to have that joy and spirit to work with,” said the President-elect.
Both he and his future vice president spoke of a “new democratic spring,” a term they already used in the 2015 anti-corruption protests that gave rise to the party, and which refers to the period between 1944 and the 1954 governments of Juan José Arévalo – Father of the President-elect – and Jacobo Árbenz transformed the State of Guatemala with innovative social policies that laid the social foundations of today.
“This is a historic moment of deep hope for a small Latin American country ruled since 1954 by bloodthirsty military, corrupt, greedy and impunity economic and political elites. “It is a beautiful earthly flash that I did not believe I had experienced, because it is about building a country for all of us, starting from a government of the peoples,” says Irma Alicia Velásquez Nimatuj, journalist and anthropologist who involved in the establishment of the group of the Sami movement. “Because of my position as a Mayan k’iche woman, it is the first time in my life that I am finally proud to be Guatemalan.”
to overcome fear
As Semilla supporters partied in the streets at Hotel Las Américas, the campaign team was torn between the weariness of a campaign that worked almost miraculously, the laughter and celebration, and the fear of possible legal movements trying to to destabilize the country change of government and structure of the party. Currently, Arévalo’s rival Sandra Torres, who has fueled the spirits of fraud and “anomaly” at the trial without presenting any evidence, has not spoken or acknowledged her victory.
In addition, in 2019, the prosecutor of Rafael Curruchiche, who launched a case against journalists and judicial officials fighting corruption, began the second round of investigating alleged irregularities in the creation of the Seed movement. The prosecution managed to persuade a judge to order the suspension of the party’s legal status. And although a constitutional court injunction eventually guaranteed Arévalo’s participation in the second ballot, the order is still in effect and there are fears that Curruchiche could institute proceedings to strip officials elected by that party of immunity.
“We know that there is an ongoing political persecution carried out by corruptly co-opted institutions as well as prosecutors and judges,” Arévalo said at the press conference. “We would like to believe that the strength of this victory will make it clear that attempts to derail the electoral process will not take place. “The people of Guatemala have spoken out strongly,” he added. However, he insisted his legal team was ready to respond to any action taken by the State Department.
Between jubilation and caution, the Arévalo team is already thinking about the move scheduled for January 14th. Economist Jonathan Menkos Zeissig, who chairs the list of 23 MPs elected by Semilla, is also one of the developers of the government plan, which has calculated how many resources are needed to achieve its goals. For him, victory also smacks of responsibility, but the crowd that gathered outside the hotel gates to catch a glimpse of their next President didn’t let go of him.
It was difficult to get into the second round because the criminal investigation was considered spurious, but the team managed to overcome fear. “The main risk is that nothing happens in Guatemala, the main risk is that this election would not have been won,” he said before walking towards the hopeful voters.
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