Guatemala - February 2023

The Electoral Tribunal rejected the candidacy of Thelma Cabrera, an Indigenous woman and leader, on the grounds that her running mate failed to produce proof that no corruption cases were open against him. Critics have underlined that other politicians have been allowed to register their candidacies even with open cases against them and have argued that Cabrera has been subject to discriminatory treatment. Supporters blocked national highways to protest the rejection of Cabrera’s candidacy and called upon the Constitutional Court to resolve an appeal to the Tribunal’s ruling. Cabrera had previously participated in the 2019 elections and obtained 10 per cent of the votes. 

Human Rights Watch and the Washington Office on Latin America have highlighted the need for electoral authorities to apply equal standards to all candidacies and ensure a level playing field for all political hopefuls. In addition to Cabrera, they brought attention to the rejection of the candidacy of a right-wing politician, expressing concern about apparent efforts to undermine candidates from the opposition.  

Sources: The Washington Post,  Washington Office on Latin America, Telesur