The ruling Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG) has chosen not to confront the recently forged alliance of all opposition parties in the single-chamber congress. On 6 August it again resorted, for the second time in less than a week, to walking out of a session to avoid even hearing the submission of a controversial motion [WR-03-30].
On this occasion it was a request by Nineth Montenegro, of the leftist Alianza Nueva Nación (ANN), for President Alfonso Portillo's immunity from prosecution to be lifted so he can stand trial on a charge of having unconstitutionally appointed an official later involved in a massive fraud.
The FRG has a majority of its own in congress: 59 of the 113 seats. This is a fragile lead: it would take only three absences from the FRG ranks to wipe it out. It has clearly elected not to run any kind of risk (and also to avoid taking stands which might be electorally unproductive) by simply denying the necessary quorum for sessions to be held.
Limits of opposition unity
The drawing together of the opposition parties and civic organisations outside of congress appears to have its limits. There has been no move to unite behind a single candidate -- though on 4 August the small right-of-centre Unión Democrática (UD) did decide to withdraw its own candidate, Rodolfo Paiz, and endorse the frontrunner in the polls, Oscar Berger of the Gran Alianza Nacional (Gana). If the polls are anything to go by, this would only transfer 0.5% of the electorate to Berger.
Moving in the opposite direction, the Partido Unionista (PU) has formalised the nomination of Guatemala city mayor Fritz García-Gallond as its presidential candidate. Meanwhile, Efraín Ríos Montt is still a candidate: the electoral tribunal dismissed the two requests to nullify his registration on the grounds that it was illegal. The case goes to appeal.
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