The headquarters of Bernardo Arevalo’s Semilla party, a presidential candidate in Guatemala, was raided by the police, as announced by the attorney general’s office on Friday. This action comes just a month before the high-stakes run-off election.
The raid is a result of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the party’s membership list. These alleged irregularities have received criticism from rights groups as improper interference in the largest democracy in Central America.
Shortly after the first-round presidential vote on June 25, in which Bernardo Arevalo secured second place and advanced to the August 20 run-off, the party was suspended by a court order. Arevalo, running on an anti-corruption platform, surprised the country by achieving this feat.
The targeting of Arevalo’s party has created fresh chaos in the race to succeed the current conservative President Alejandro Giammattei. The allegations focus on irregularities in the registration of over 5,000 Semilla members.
Despite the controversy, the top court in Guatemala has granted an injunction to the party and ruled that there are no legal obstacles for Arevalo to compete in the run-off election. His opponent in the run-off is former First Lady Sandra Torres, who finished first in the June vote.
Earlier this month, Guatemalan authorities also raided the electoral tribunal’s building, which was linked to the registration of members of the Semilla party.
(Reporting by Sofia Menuchu; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
