13 September 2011 | Interviews | Human rights
It Gets Worse
Natalia Atz, from Ceiba-Friends of the Earth Guatemala, talks about the elections in her country
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There is one first possible conclusion: social movements in Guatemala will have to face a
tough scenario in the coming four years. After Sunday’s elections, it was known that there
will be a run-off on November 6 between right-wing military man Otto Perez Molina, of
the Patriot Party, and former ruling party lawmaker Manuel Baldizon, of the party Libertad
Democrática Renovada (Líder).
The former candidate based his campaign on a tough fight against drug trafficking and crime,
while the latter expressed his position for capital punishment and appealed to the votes of
the “Christian believers”.
Few hours before the elections, Natalia Atz, member of CEIBA, Friends of the Earth
Guatenala, had already warned that the scenario was less than encouraging for the social
movements and that she foresaw the consolidation of the ruling model.
“All the right-wing candidates will bring about more repression for the indigenous and
peasant movement. The struggles will have to be even stronger”, she said.
The proposal of the Guatemalan conservative sectors includes the promotion of investments
from transnational corporations that will continue with their appropriation policies and the
expansion of mining, oil, agrofuel and dam industries.
Atz also told Real World Radio about the political parties’ unwillingness to make public their
source of financing, also to explicit the scope of their security promises and the role of mass
media, which are once again the winners here.
