Bernardo Arévalo, an academic, former diplomat, and son of a famed revolutionary president surprisingly made it to Guatemala’s election runoff, upsetting the country’s ruling elites. What could happen next? Is his candidacy in jeopardy? Who makes up the group that Guatemalans refer to as the ‘pacto de corruptos‘ trying to undermine the nation’s democracy? Is the U.S. using its influence to push for free and fair elections in Guatemala? In this conversation, former ambassador Stephen McFarland discusses how power operates in the country where he lived and worked for years and an election he describes as the most surprising in recent Central American history.
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Stephen McFarland is a former U.S. ambassador to Guatemala
Brian Winter is AQ’s editor-in-chief
Supplemental reading:
Guatemala’s March Toward Authoritarianism by Stephen McFarland
Meet the Candidates: Guatemala by AQ editors
Seven Decades After Guatemala Coup, Bernardo Arévalo Sees a Dramatic Rise by Will Freeman
After Ruling, More Trouble Likely for Guatemala’s Democracy by Claudia Méndez Arriaza
Ahead of Guatemala’s Elections, an Exodus Continues by Rich Brown
Zury Ríos Campaigns to Lead Guatemala’s Faltering Democracy by Claudia Méndez Arriaza
