Fears mount in Guatemala as elections approach
Fears mount in Guatemala as elections approach
by: Emile Schepers
August 3 2015
On Sept. 6 there will be general elections in Guatemala, with runoffs on Oct. 25. Voters will elect a new president to succeed Otto Perez Molina of the Patriotic Party, who is not allowed a second term. They will also elect a vice president, all 158 members of Congress and 20 for the Central American Parliament, as well as local officials,
Perez Molina, a right-wing former general, is mired in an immense corruption scandal. The leading role in the corruption investigation has been taken by the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, CICIG in Spanish, working in tandem with the public prosecutor's office.
The CICIG is a United Nations-sponsored entity which was set up in 2006 to deal with impunity in the Guatemalan justice system. In the current case, its investigations found that persons very close to the president were involved in a smuggling and tax evasion scheme; this has led to the resignation of the country's vice president, Roxana Baldetti, plus numerous arrests.
Also, there was corruption in contracting for kidney treatment services for the health care system of the Guatemalan Institute for Social Security. Outraged citizens of all ideological persuasions have, since May, been protesting these abuses.
More:
http://peoplesworld.org/fears-mount-in-guatemala-as-elections-approach/
