(CNN Spanish) — Guatemala’s Constitutional Court said on Thursday that it had granted interim protection to the Seed Movement, which was requested by the party after the Seventh Criminal Instance Court ordered the suspension of its legal status.
In a statement published on social networks, the Court explained that the protection paves the way for “the second (presidential) electoral round to take place on the date indicated and with the participation of the official candidates”.
Previously, Bernardo Arévalo, Semilla’s presidential candidate, had stated that the amparo had been deposited “in defense of democracy, institutionality and constitutionality”.
On the other hand, the director of the registry of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, José Ramiro Muñoz, announced that he had filed a constitutional action for amparo against the decision of the Seventh Court to suspend the legal status of Semilla, arguing that only the Court can undertake this type of lawsuit.
“(It is the) only body in constitutional matters, as the law says, to power, suspend or cancel any political organization. That is why we have raised this constitutional action for amparo,” he said this Thursday at a press conference.
On Wednesday evening, the head of the special prosecution against impunity, Rafael Curruchiche, reported this suspension against Semilla for allegedly forging citizens’ signatures for the party’s authorization process; the party denied the charge.
The decision triggered several reactions, including the suspension of the electoral campaign of Sandra Torres, candidate of the National Unity of Hope (UNE), who would have competed with Arévalo in the August 20 runoff.
“The Public Prosecutor is respectful of the decisions of the Constitutional Court. However, as established by the resolution, it is “without prejudice to the powers of criminal prosecution vested in the Public Prosecutor and what is governed by Articles Constitution of the Republic and 251 of the Electoral and Political Parties Law,” the Prosecutor told CNN about this court decision.
What did the prosecutor say?
The Guatemalan Public Prosecutor said this Friday that “it will continue with the corresponding investigations”, after an amparo of the Constitutional Court canceled the suspension of Semilla’s legal status
“These investigations are currently limited to events that occurred during the formation of the political party Movimiento Semilla, which, as an institution governed by public law, clearly defined the applicable legal requirements and norms for its establishment,” they said in a statement.
The deputy denied that his actions aim to “interfere with the date of the second round of elections, or disable the participation of any candidate in the ballot scheduled for August 20 this year, as evidenced by sustained disinformation campaigns”.
Merlin Delcid and José Roberto Cisneros contributed to this report.