The Travels of the
Techno-Freedom-Fighter

{most of this has been put together from looking at the news and talking to locals and is the best impression that I can give, therefore it is an opinion piece and not a news arcticel}

Things are starting to hot up here because the Guatemala will have an election on the 9th of November 2003. It all started with this shady character Rios Montt, El General who obtained his Presidency by a coup de tar in the early 80´s. I've attached a time line to the bottom just so that it makes the succession of events a bit clearer. Since 1990 Rios Montt has been trying to be a Presidential candidate.

El General was refused his candidacy in 1990 due to the Constitution prohibits some one who took part in a coup can not be a Presidential candidate. Not taking no for an answer in 1995 he tried again and again he lost his case and all of his appeals. His main argument is that the constitution of 1985 can not be applied retrospectively and seeing that he did his deed in ‘82 that he should be allowed to run

There was a referendum early this year that he orgaised to overturn the constitutional clause but with only 15% of the population voting the result (that was in his favor) was ruled null and void. During the last elections in 1999 Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) the political party that El General founded and is the Party President, won most of the seats in parliament. Therefore, Rios Montt could become the Speaker/President of the House of parliament, which gave him a fair amount of political power. And inspired the guy to really go for the whole lot. As President of the country!… again!

The funny this is that it seems that El General has got no real ‘democratic’ powerbase. Most of the workers and unions hate him (mainly for the left wing crack down in the 1980s). the business community hate him because he is about as good for the National economy as trade sanctions. And most of the establishment ( that are not some way obligated to support him) hate him as well. The only real powerbase that the guy has is the military and all the people that had it ‘so good’ when he was around. See when he was in, in the 80s (all 18 months that he was around) there was almost a 0% {Violent Crime} crime rate (basically because he had all the people and any one suspected of crime shot like any good fascist would) even though corruption and fraud was rife. So basically the military are the only ones that support him, because they know if he gets in they can get started on round 2 and get back at the ‘rebels’{any one who is indigenous} again and settle a couple of old scores from the civil war.

The reason that it is so cut and dry is that during the reign of El General, the FRG where able to amass large amounts of money. If Montt runs he will no dout win because the corruption and money that he will be able to throw around will get him over the post.
The overall consensus is that this FRG Government is the worst they have ever had (and that is saying a lot because remember these guys have been trough 10 odd coups in the last 30 years). If things where not bad already, corruption seems to be normal in Guatemalan Public institutions, not that it didn’t before covertly but it has become incredibly overt in the last 4 years.

Also during the last four years every now and then the odd Minister and other people in high positions would be changed sighting allsorts of suspicious circumstances. This has resulted in institutional instability, especially in the National Police Corps where it has created a lake of Public Safety. Violent crime has gone trough the roof there are armed gangs perpetrating allsorts of crimes in the capital and so people don’t feel safe anymore.

It gets better… at this moment the government is discussing the use of the Army as a ‘helping hand’ to the National Police Corps (this is great for him because remember where the guy gets all his support from ) during the last year the rate of murders and threats has increased. Some of the people who have been murdered, blackmailed or beaten to a pulp were openly expressing their concern about the current political situation. currently, journalists are victims of threats and attacks. It seems to me that some "unknown" forces of which one say that they are connected with the drug mafia and the veteran organisation, are trying to frighten the people of Guatemala.

So enter stage right a get-it-tough general that will bring order back to the country.

Within this intelligently created atmosphere of confusion and fear, the current election campaign is taking place. Since 2002, El General, has tried and failed to become a Presidential candidate. Until 2 weeks ago, that is when the last and highest court, the Constitutional Court, decided to allow him to run. Like in some bad comedy the tension was increased by a last-minute change in the group of chosen to make the decision. The bench was stacked with old FRG and military Cronies and El General had every confidence that he would win by 4 to 3 votes and that is exactly what happened.

After the news of the legal decision, that El General would be a Presidential candidate, the people of Guatemala reacted furiously. Ever since Rios decided to run there has been peaceful demonstrations in front of the Constitutional Court. A groundswell of opposition arose Constitutional Lawyers came forward with legal arguments, the international community demonstrated its opposition and there a large demonstration at the central market in the capital of Guatemala in which all people were dressed in black. to express the feelings of mourning. Fortunately, at the beginning of this week, the Supreme Court one lower than the constitutional court(but with special power on political issues) accepted an appeal against the inscription of El General and overturned the Constitutional Court decision. Therefore, the registration of El General was suspended. Because El General didn’t expect a restart of the legal battle, his reaction was furious. During a public press conference he got really upset and said that due to the current situation it was not possible for the party to control some of the FRG supporters ( now there was a veiled threat if I ever saw one). And as the El General predicted his winning by 4 to 3 in the constitutional court, he also predicted last Monday the violent situation that erupted on Friday.

On the morning of the Friday 25th There was a violent atmosphere in Guatemala City. A violent mob started to enter the executive suburb in which a lot of important companies Government and international organisations are situated. Later the mob attacked and damaged a petrol station, which then exploded.

Some time later and other mob arrived in front of an office in which one of the famous Anti- Montt journalist and businessman work. The mob began violently demonstrating, and threw three petrolbombs into the building. Almost at the same time in another part of the city another violent mob arrived in front of the ex-President’s house and began violently demonstrating.

One of the dodgy things about this whole sorry state of affairs is that there was a complete lack of police intervention on the streets to stop this crowd and bring order to the streets. Even though the police who were on the streets, they only where standing there, observing and doing nothing. the funny thing about the mob was that it seemed to consist of farmers and other thugs from outside the capital. One of the good things poverty rent-a-mob is fairly cheap.

Due to the way the mob was operating, by attacking strategic positions with in the city it is dubious that it was a spontaneous demonstration, it was very well organised and it was almost a rerun of the demonstrations in the coup of 1983.

Since Friday things have calmed down a little, there are no petrol bombs being thrown at least. The FRG and El General are working out what to do next as the closing date for registrations of presidential candidates is come up in 2 weeks. It seems that they are going for broke because if the FRG don’t get themselves a candidate that is allowed to run then they will be left out in the cold.

In all of this mess the opposition to Rios Montt is swinging behind presidential candidate Oscar Berger, of previous President Alvaro Arzú's National Advancement Party (PAN). Berger is a lawyer who served as the capital's mayor for eight years. He has been the main push in organising rallies against El General.

Well folks that is where we leave it for now its all very interesting living in a banana republic as it falls apart, I am hear for another 2 weeks. Don’t worry too much about me in all of this mess, I am up in the mountains 280km from the capital and there has been no even the slightest hint of violence here in Xela. I am registered with the Australian embassy, and if the marines are sent in I should be able to get a spot on the truck out of here.

All the best, lets hope that el general gets bounced. And that Guatemala can go on and enjoy reasonable peace and prosperity.

Time line of events {source BBC news online}

1970s - Military rulers embark on a programme to eliminate left-wingers, resulting in at least 50,000 deaths.

1976 - 27,000 people are killed and more than a million rendered homeless by earthquake.

1981 - Around 11,000 people are killed by death squads and soldiers in response to growing anti-government guerrilla activity.

1982 - General Efrain Rios Montt gains power following military coup.

1983 - Montt ousted in coup led by General Mejia Victores, who declares an amnesty for guerrillas.

1985 - Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arevalo elected president and the Guatemalan Christian Democratic Party wins legislative elections under a new constitution.

1989 - Attempt to overthrow Cerezo fails; civil war toll since 1980 reaches 100,000 dead and 40,000 missing.

1991 - Jorge Serrano Elias elected president. Diplomatic relations restored with Belize, from whom Guatemala had long-standing territorial claims.

1993 - Serrano forced to resign after his attempt to impose an authoritarian regime ignites a wave of protests; Ramiro de Leon Carpio elected president by the legislature.

1994 - Peace talks between the government and rebels of the Guatemalan Revolutionary National Unity begin; right-wing parties win a majority in legislative elections.

1995 - Rebels declare a ceasefire; UN and US criticise Guatemala for widespread human rights abuses.

End of civil war

1996 - Alvaro Arzu elected president, conducts purge of senior military officers and signs peace agreement with rebels, ending 36 years of civil war.

1998 - Bishop Juan Gerardi, a human rights campaigner, murdered.

1999 - UN-backed commission says security forces were behind 93% of all human rights atrocities committed during the civil war, which claimed 200,000 lives, and that senior officials had overseen 626 massacres in Maya villages.

2000 - Alfonso Portillo sworn in as president after winning elections in 1999.

2001 December - President Portillo pays $1.8 millon in compensation to the families of 226 men, women and children killed by soldiers and paramilitaries in the northern village of Las Dos Erres in 1982.
Border talks

2002 September - Guatemala and Belize agree on a draft settlement to their long-standing border dispute, at talks brokered by the Organization of American States (OAS). Both nations will hold referenda on the draft settlement.

2003 March - Government agrees to let the UN and OAS investigate armed groups said to be behind a wave of atttacks on judges, prosecutors and rights campaigners.

2003 May - Former military leader Efrain Rios Montt attempts to overturn a ban on coup participants from seeking presidential office. Mr Rios Montt aims to contest November's presidential poll.

8 June, 2003 - Guatemala coup leader defies ban - The leader of Guatemala's Congress and former military ruler, General Jose Efrain Rios Montt, has begun campaigning for the country's presidency, defying a ruling banning him from standing.

26 June, 2003 - Editor assaulted in Guatemala - The editor of an independent newspaper in Guatemala are recovering after an armed gang of 12 men forced its way into his home, held a gun to his head and beat his sons.

28 June, 2003 - Guatemala press freedom alarm - The president of Guatemala are under pressure to investigate an attack by an armed gang on the editor of the independent newspaper El Periodico.

15 July, 2003-Guatemala general can seek office - The constitutional court in Guatemala has ruled that General Efrain Rios Montt, who seized power in a coup in 1982, can contest a presidential election in November.

21 July, 2003 - Guatemala general blocked again - Guatemala's Supreme Court has suspended the presidential candidacy of former military leader Jose Efrain Rios Montt.
The court made the decision after an opposition candidate appealed against the former strongman's candidacy. The suspension means that Mr Rios Montt will be unable to run as the candidate of the ruling Republican Front unless he, in turn, succeeds in an appeal.

24 July 2003- The Constitutional Court of Guatemala has upheld a lower court's decision to suspend the presidential candidacy of the former military ruler, Jose Efraín Ríos Montt. The Constitutional Court had originally ruled that Mr Ríos Montt could run for president. But the country's second-highest court - the Supreme Court - later suspended his candidacy, after opposition parties appealed against it. At the centre of the dispute are a law banning former military rulers from running for president. Mr Ríos Montt - who has been accused of human rights violations - says the law does not apply to him because it came into effect after he was removed from power in 1983.

25 July, 2003,Guatemala City hit by riot - There have been violent protests in the capital of Guatemala in support of former strongman Efrain Rios Montt, who has been barred from standing for president.