May 19, 2023, 10:12 PM
May 19, 2023, 10:12 PM
A Guatemalan court decided to provisionally suspend this Friday (05.19.2023) the presidential candidacy of businessman Carlos Pineda, who leads the polls for the June 25 elections.
The decision was made because the Prosperidad Ciudadana party, which is nominating Pineda for president, allegedly incurred various irregularities when it held the assembly where all the candidates of said organization were proclaimed, according to the resolution of the Sixth Chamber of the Administrative Litigation Court. .
The decision of the court of the Judicial Branch stems from a complaint filed by the Cambio party, which belongs to the politician and businessman Manuel Baldizón, who served a 4-year prison sentence in the United States for money laundering.
Pineda belonged to the Baldizón organization in 2022, before leading the polls.
Prior to the suspension, Pineda’s lawyer had filed an appeal to try to stop the candidate’s suspension. However, this had no effect.
On May 2, a survey carried out by the ProDatos firm and published by the local newspaper Prensa Libre placed Pineda at the head of the electoral contest with 23.1 percent of the intention to vote.
Questions to Pineda
Pineda, who owns transportation companies and cattle farms in northern Guatemala, was participating in elections for the first time.
During the electoral campaign, Pineda, who presents himself as a stranger to politics, has confronted the press when he is questioned about his ties to characters related to drug trafficking and about his visa to enter the United States.
According to Pineda’s official accounts, the candidate is currently in the neighboring country of El Salvador.
Several analysts had warned that Pineda’s candidacy could be suspended due to legal actions by groups that keep the Guatemalan state co-opted.
Pineda can still act against the provisional decision and seek to secure his place to compete in the next elections.
On June 25, some 9.3 million Guatemalans must elect their new president, vice president, 160 deputies to Congress, 20 to the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) and 340 municipal mayors for the 2024-2028 period.
