news update

The political drama continues. The latest controversy is around Harold Cabelleros, the ex-pastor and founder of one of Guatemalas mega churches. Inspite of handing in his paperwork in order to stand for election in May, the electoral court waited til this week, just before the deadline for candidates, to assess this application. They decided that he was not eligible to stand for election because the law states that no minister of religion is able to stand. They say that him resigning from his role as pastor of the church in order to stand for election amounts to electoral fraud. That seems logical - except for the fact that he resigned from being pastor 4 years ago, before the last election. This part of the law also seems to have been ignored during the last election because Alvaro Colom, the actual President is a practicing Mayan priest. The appeals from Harold Cabelleros continue, as for Sandra Torres, the newly divorced first lady (again acused of electoral fraud).

The challenge to govern Guatemala is huge. In the midst of a heavy rainy season, with several roads washed out, this is a difficult situation to run a campaign. Another Presidencial candidate died this week when his helicopter crashed in a mountainous region, where he was visiting remote areas.

In other news, the bodyguard of Otto Perez (another candidate) daughter shot an unarmed car park attendant who asked him to move his car as it was blocking an entrance. The bodyguard fled, but the candidates party doesn't seem to feel the need to make a statement about it.

I wonder how the average Guatemalan sees all of this - how do you ever unravel all the stories and work out the truth from the lies?. And this is before you even get to party policies or election promises.

But what's interesting is that this week it wasn´t the death of a politician but the death of an Argentine in Guatemala, that has seen the biggest response and outpouring of grief. Facundo Cabral was an iconic folk singer, famous throughout Latin America. He had been in Guatemala to give 2 concerts, before he was shot dead when a group of armed men opened fire on his car as he was being driven to the airport. A mass of floral tributes have been left at the spot, and artists throughout the continent, as well as presidential candidates here have expressed their sorrow.

Amongst my friends, there´s an embarrassment of what Guatemala has become. People see how the violent situation has worsened recently and over the last 4 years, and long for something different. But who knows who or which party is likely to bring that difference.