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| Outside one of Coban's polling places |
Last Sunday (September 5th),
Guatemalans went to polling places all over the country to select their next
leaders. Every branch of government from the President/Vice President, to departmental
representatives, congressional representatives, mayors and municipal leaders is
up for grabs throughout Guatemala. We started our day by attending a prayer
vigil for Guatemala that was organized by our little Presbyterian church in Cobán.
Walking around town we observed a festive atmosphere around the polling places
as people gathered, reconnected, and exercised their right to vote.
Observing this election
process as outside observers made us realize that we haven’t been keeping our
friends and supporters up to date on the incredible events that have rocked and
shaped Guatemalan politics since April. With all the coverage we’ve been
exposed to here, it slipped our minds that maybe not everyone has the same access
to news surrounding all these happenings.
Many of you might remember
our post of June 14 in which we asked for your prayers for Guatemala as outrage
over exposed government corruption scandals intensified. (If not, you can read
it here). The intensity of the outrage grew into what many are calling a “Guatemala
Spring”. Following the resignations and incarcerations of many in the current
cabinet that were linked to the scandal that robbed millions of dollars in tax revenue
while critical public services struggled from lack of resources, thousands of
Guatemalans from many different walks of life, gathered in different locations
around the country to peacefully call for the resignation of the president. Just
prior to Sunday’s elections, the congress voted unanimously to strip the
president of his immunity from prosecution. Shortly thereafter, the president
did step down and immediately was charged and incarcerated and is now awaiting
trial. These are only the highlights. We’ve seen several good English-language
articles related to all these happenings. We’ll refer you to a couple. Here’s a
link to an article that does a good job of telling the story from the
perspective of the Guatemalans protesting in the streets:
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| Protesters in the street (From: Buzzfeed.com) |
This New Yorker article
gives a very good account of the events leading up to the actions against the
president, and some background on the president himself:
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| Congestion at the Coban intersection near the polling place |
It is against this
political backdrop that Guatemalans went to the polls on Sunday. There was a
popular cry to delay the elections, primarily because the populace does not
believe the current field of candidates, each with his or her history of
corruption, offers any improvement over the past administration; and that is no
longer acceptable to a fed-up and empowered populace. Guatemala’s electoral
commission decided that it would be too impractical to delay the national
elections so close to the planned date. In what will probably ring with
familiarity with many of our US readers, the majority of Guatemalans voted for
a former business man and TV comedian with no previous experience in public
office. As no candidate captured the required 50% majority, there will be a
runoff election in October between him and a former first lady. Even though the
field of candidates failed to reflect the spirit of intolerance to corruption so
manifest among many Guatemalans, many cautiously believe that Guatemala is on a
road to change, and that indifference, fear, or apathy are no longer the
dominant attitudes towards corruption in this country.
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| In the local grocery store. The liquor section is covered. No alcohol sales the day before or the day of elections. |
This is truly an exciting
time to be living and ministering in Guatemala. As a precaution, mission
coworkers in Guatemala have been asked to review their contingency and
emergency procedure plans should things take an ugly turn. And we remain
thankful to be part of an organization that looks out for our safety and
well-being. For several reasons, we hope and pray we can stay right here as
this new dynamic in Guatemala unfolds before us. In the past we’ve shared the
stories of students of different ages and backgrounds with whom we’ve had the privilege
of working alongside. We share them because their stories are your stories too.
All that we’ve been able to witness and accomplish has happened as a result of
your faithful prayer, accompaniment, and financial support. Clearly the sense
of hope and optimism among these folks is more prevalent among the younger
students, but even older students that we’ve met through the theological
training exhibit new energy and enthusiasm as they acquire a growing knowledge
of their reformed faith and the roles they can play in praying for, working
toward, and participating in positive change in the world around them.
Thank-you and blessings to
you all!
Debbie and Richard Welch
PC(USA) Mission Co-workers,
Guatemala
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