Editor’s note: this is the final installment of a four-part series on the US State Department’s interest in the 2023 Guatemalan elections. See Part I here, Part II here, and Part III here.
As noted earlier, Guatemalan voters consistently say their most important issues are security and opportunity. A review of the past 13 years shows the US State Department (DOS) is the most ardent and direct enemy of these two objectives. That is why Guatemalans must insist that all candidates—be they for president, Congress, or municipalities—take clear stances that place them either for or against the DOS agenda.
Part I outlines antidemocratic DOS intervention in Guatemala since 2010.
Part II explains why DOS is intensely motivated toward controlling the next president.
Part III offers ways to identify candidates against the Guatemalan constitution but in line with the DOS agenda.
This conclusion (Part IV) offers a practical framework for voters to increase the probability that they do not elect a candidate who will execute the DOS agenda.
DOS leads the guerrilla successor effort to impose a one-party, centralized government that rules arbitrarily. A DOS-controlled government would harm the economy and impose its collectivist ideology, including gender fluidity, abortion, and homosexual marriage.
Clearly, Guatemalans do not want this. DOS will always deny this is their objective, but the record belies the denial, which is typical of totalitarians. I wrote this series to help Guatemalans understand DOS deception, identify its proponents, and give themselves a chance at a future of liberty and prosperity.
Vote for the Best Viable, Non-DOS Candidate
The DOS electoral reforms of 2016 are still in place. The short time of the campaign and the restrictions on campaign contributions give the advantage to candidates whose names are well-known. Unfortunately, this means fewer than a handful of candidates have a chance to win.
Some voters might not like any of the few candidates who have a realistic chance to win and prefer a candidate who has no chance to win. Voting for their preferred candidate wastes their vote in a practical sense.
It pains me to say this because there are likely good candidates who have no chance. Voters should have the opportunity to know the candidates and vote for whomever they want. For this, the Constitutional Court must declare the 2016 DOS changes to the electoral law unconstitutional.
Guatemala needs a president who will stand up to DOS pressure and make the electoral system more transparent. Avoiding the abyss of a DOS-dominated government requires practicality now.
There are differences among those who can win. The challenge is to identify those who can win and then vote for the candidate of this group least likely to be a DOS pawn.
Of the various issues that distinguish DOS candidates, voters should not look at only one. Instead, review the candidate’s positions on the entire range of issues and look for any inconsistency or indication of holding a DOS position.
A Glimmer of Opportunity, Security
The former judges and prosecutors now fugitives in the United States were DOS agents violating the law to execute the DOS agenda. That is centralization and abuse of power: dictatorship.
DOS is desperate to retake power in Guatemala to resume its agenda, both to conquer the country and to hide its many crimes from its own Congress and people. For Guatemala to realize its potential and create opportunity and security, it must resist the DOS agenda. Its people must promote liberty.
Investment creates jobs, but investment requires legal certainty, which comes from a judiciary that properly and impartially applies the law. Guatemalans must insist on such judges. Guatemala already has a prosecutor general committed to the rule of law. Hopefully, Guatemalans will no’t let this good start go to waste.
This election has not been handled properly by the authorities and is flawed. Guatemalans who want their country to realize its potential need a president and Congress that will respect the public’s demands. They include electoral reform to guarantee free, fair, and transparent elections in 2027.
That will only happen if Guatemalans organize and participate in their politics. That begins with realizing DOS is the enemy of their liberty. This is not true because I or anyone else says it; it is true because the record is clear for anyone who looks at it. Everyone should look at the DOS record and vote on June 25.
If voters are apathetic and unaware, the totalitarian movement led by DOS is likely to steal Guatemala’s liberty. Guatemalans have good values and good sense. If they pay attention and become involved, the future will be bright.
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