Movimiento Semilla
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Movimiento Semilla (, ) is a
centre-left Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commo ...
, progressive,
social-democratic Social democracy is a social, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achieving social equality. In modern practice, socia ...
political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
in
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. On 14 January 2024, it became Guatemala's governing party following the inauguration of President
Bernardo Arévalo César Bernardo Arévalo de León (; born 7 October 1958) is a Guatemalan diplomat, sociologist, writer, and politician serving as the 52nd and current president of Guatemala since 2024. A member and co-founder of the Movimiento Semilla, Semill ...
. The current legal status of the political party is unclear.


History

The Semilla Movement was registered before the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on 14 July 2017. Its Secretary-General is Abelardo Pinto. The party began after the demonstrations that led to the resignation of President
Otto Pérez Molina Otto Fernando Pérez Molina (born December 1, 1950) is a Guatemalan politician and retired general who served as the 48th president of Guatemala from 2012 to 2015. Standing as the Patriotic Party (''Partido Patriota'') candidate, he lost the ...
. The party defines itself as a political, democratic and plural movement. It has more than 22,000 members. The Semilla Movement party had rapprochement with former Attorney General
Thelma Aldana Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández (; born 27 September 1955) is a Guatemalan jurist and politician who served as President of the Supreme Court from 2011 to 2012 and as attorney general from 2014 to 2018. Early life and education Thelma Aldan ...
to explore a possible presidential candidacy and a coalition with
Encuentro por Guatemala Encuentro por Guatemala ("EG")– a Spanish name variously translated as "Encounter for Guatemala" (for example, by the BBC and CNN), or as "Together for Guatemala" (Reuters) – was a Guatemalan political party; ''encuentro'' may also translate a ...
and
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. After investigations by Attorney General
María Consuelo Porras María Consuelo Porras Argueta (born August 23, 1953) is a Guatemalan attorney who has been serving as the attorney general of Guatemala since 2018. She previously served as Deputy Magistrate of the Constitutional Court from 2016 to 2018. Presi ...
and the UN anti-corruption commissioner
Iván Velásquez Gómez Iván Velásquez Gómez (born 12 May 1955) is a Colombian jurist and diplomat. From October 2013 to September 2019, he was the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). In August 2022, he took office as Ministe ...
requesting the removal of parliamentary immunity from
Nineth Montenegro Nineth Varenca Montenegro Cottom (born 1958 in San Marcos, Guatemala) is a Guatemalan human rights activist and a victim of state terrorism. She was the first person to face civil resistance on a national level as a result of protesting in the ...
, secretary general of Encuentro por Guatemala, for possible anonymous electoral financing, the coalition negotiations effectively stopped. On 21 November 2018, the political organization concluded meeting necessary requirements and was made official as a political party on the same day. Semilla brings together various political groups in Guatemala. In the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election, the party unexpectedly advanced to the second round, and won 23 seats in the Congressional election. On 12 July 2023, the Public Ministry announced, at the request of a court, the suspension of the party due to an allegation made in May 2022 about the party falsifying signatures to qualify themselves for the 2023 general election. On 13 July, the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
, the highest court for constitutional law in Guatemala, granted an injunction against the suspension. In August, judge Fredy Orellana issued a ruling to reinstate the suspension. The Registry of Citizens of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal provisionally cancelled the party's registration on 28 August. Semilla filed an appeal, saying the ruling was an attempt to prevent the party's parliamentarians and president-elect from taking office. On 30 August 2023, President of Congress Shirley Rivera dissolved the parliamentary group of Movimiento Semilla and declared them "
independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...
". President-elect and member of Congress
Bernardo Arévalo César Bernardo Arévalo de León (; born 7 October 1958) is a Guatemalan diplomat, sociologist, writer, and politician serving as the 52nd and current president of Guatemala since 2024. A member and co-founder of the Movimiento Semilla, Semill ...
was also affected by the decision. On 3 September, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal overturned the suspension of the party's registration through October. Members of the public in seven of the 22 departments also held protests against the Attorney General's office, accusing it of attempting to interfere in the electoral process. On 5 October, the Constitutional Court upheld the party's suspension, with protests following. The
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
stated that the elections were peaceful and transparent, and that actions of prosecutors appeared to be politically motivated and aimed at preventing Bernardo Arévalo from taking office as President. Following the expiry of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal order, the party was suspended again on 2 November. On 16 November, prosecutors said they would ask the Supreme Court to strip Arévalo, Vice President-elect
Karin Herrera Karin Larissa Herrera Aguilar (born 25 July 1967) is a Guatemalan biologist, professor, sociologist, and politician serving as the 18th vice president of Guatemala since 2024. A member of the political party Semilla, she was elected vice presid ...
, and other members of Semilla of immunity from prosecution for damages resulting from a 2022 protest at a public university over the election of a new rector, claiming Arévalo made posts on
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encouraging students to take over the university. The United States described the moves as "brazen efforts to undermine Guatemala's peaceful transition of power," and imposed visa restrictions on eleven people for "undermining democracy and the rule of law".


Ideology

The party defines itself as a democratic and pluralistic political movement. It states that its political identity is environmentalist and progressivist. The political party has 5 ideological principles: # Construction of democracy # Equity as the guiding axis of public policy # The recognition of a pluralistic country # Boost a humane economy # Respect for nature


International policy

Semilla has condemned the governments of Nicaragua and Venezuela, classifying them as dictatorships. It proposed and voted in favor of a motion to not recognize the results of the 2021 Nicaraguan general election. In March 2022, Semilla officials and other opposition parties were proponents of a legislative proposal to urge president
Alejandro Giammattei Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla (; born 9 March 1956) is a Guatemalan politician who was the 51st president of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024. He is a former director of the Guatemalan penitentiary system and participated in Guatemala's presid ...
to take measures against the
Russian government The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...
for its invasion of Ukraine. The proposal included cancellation of the mining license of the Guatemala Nickel Company, S. A. (Pronico), which is a subsidiary of the Russian company Solway Investment Group. Additionally, it requested the cancellation of the
Sputnik V Sputnik V (, the brand name from the Russian Direct Investment Fund or RDIF) or Gam-COVID-Vac (, the name under which it is legally registered and produced) is an adenovirus viral vector vaccine for COVID-19 developed by the Gamaleya Resea ...
vaccine acquisition contract with the Russian government. In October 2023, the party was accepted in the
Progressive International Progressive International (PI) is an international political organisation that unites and mobilises Progressivism, progressive Left-wing politics, left-wing activists and groups. The organisation works with over 70 member groups. This comprises ...
, an alliance of centre-left to left-wing political parties. The party is also a member of the
Progressive Alliance The Progressive Alliance (PA) is a political international of progressive and social democratic political parties and organisations founded on 22 May 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. The alliance was formed as an alternative to the existing Socia ...
, a group of progressive and
social democratic Social democracy is a Social philosophy, social, Economic ideology, economic, and political philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy and a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach toward achi ...
parties created in 2013 from a split in the
Socialist International The Socialist International (SI) is a political international or worldwide organisation of political parties which seek to establish democratic socialism, consisting mostly of Social democracy, social democratic political parties and Labour mov ...
.


Controversies

In 2020, the wife of Fuentes Knight, Ana Cristina Castañeda, complained of the limited support that the party gave her husband after the case he was involved in, and expressed disagreement with the leadership of the company. In February 2021, founder Suzanne Brichaux and pre-candidate for deputy for
Sacatepéquez Sacatepéquez () was a city in Guatemala from November 21, 1542 until July 29, 1773 when it was destroyed by the Santa Marta earthquake. Sacatepéquez means ''grasshill'' and gave its name to the Sacatepéquez Department. Sacatepéquez and Antig ...
in 2019 was expelled from the party on grounds that she had committed usurpation of functions and violations of internal regulations. Brichaux argued that it was all due to "questioning the leadership." In December 2021, the party disowned deputy José Alberto Sánchez Guzmán for having violated party discipline by having voted in favor of the concession for the construction and operation of the
Escuintla Escuintla () is an industrial city in Guatemala, its land extension is 4,384 km2, and it is nationally known for its sugar agribusiness. Its capital is a municipality with the same name. Citizens celebrate from December 6 to 9 with a small f ...
- Puerto Quetzal Highway. Sánchez Guzmán later joined the right-wing Republican Union party. In 2022, deputy Luis Fernando Pineda Lemus left Semilla on good terms and joined the right-wing Visión con Valores party.


Complaints

In March 2023, the party filed a complaint with the Electoral Crimes Prosecutor's Office of the Public Ministry in the case of a forged signature when it was still a committee in formation. The complaint also included the people who allegedly collected the signature. Months later, the case was transferred from the Electoral Crimes Prosecutor's Office to the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, headed by prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche. Curruchiche is a prosecutor who had previously denounced the then candidate
Edmond Mulet Edmond Auguste Mulet Lesieur (born 13 March 1951) is a Guatemalan diplomat, lawyer and notary public. He was appointed Head of the independent three-member panel to lead the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-United N ...
and requested the withdrawal of his immunity, for allegedly "obstructing justice" after speaking out against a trial against journalists, then denounced him for having carried out an "anticipatory campaign." On 12 July 2023, the Supreme Electoral Court made the results official and confirmed that Torres and Arévalo would compete in the second round, however, at the same time, prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche of the Public Ministry announced that, at the request of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, Judge Fredy Orellana suspended the legal personality of the Semilla Movement due to an alleged case of false signatures of members for the formation of the political party and ordered the electoral court to cancel the political party. According to Curruchiche, around 5,000 signatures were forged and, according to his opinion, there may be a crime of money laundering. According to Prensa Libre, there is another complaint against the party for allegedly falsifying the signatures in the membership books. Both the Supreme Electoral Court and legal experts stated that the judge did not act in accordance with the Electoral and Political Parties Law and that his This measure jeopardized the development of the second electoral round. The Registry of Citizens of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal requested an appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice to suspend the judge's order. Given this, the Semilla Movement presented a motion before the Constitutional Court to reverse the judge's order. Arévalo said that the actions of Curruchiche and Orellana were a "technical
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
." The Court granted the motion provisionally and Semilla remained in the second round. Demonstrations were also called to request the resignation of
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
María Consuelo Porras María Consuelo Porras Argueta (born August 23, 1953) is a Guatemalan attorney who has been serving as the attorney general of Guatemala since 2018. She previously served as Deputy Magistrate of the Constitutional Court from 2016 to 2018. Presi ...
, Prosecutor Curruchiche and Judge Orellana. Subsequently, Arévalo and his vice presidential candidate, Karin Herrera, were present at the demonstration and filed a criminal complaint against prosecutor Curruchiche and Judge Orellana. On 14 July, Arévalo, Herrera and their work team officially began the electoral campaign. Given the chaos caused by the judicialization of the elections, various national and international actors denied the allegation of electoral fraud and stated that the results coincided with their observations. They also asked all parties to respect the electoral results. In addition, they strongly criticized the actions. of the Public Ministry. In a bipartisan statement, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
asked President
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to impose sanctions against those responsible for "threatening democracy" in Guatemala and particularly expressed their concern about the actions against Arévalo's candidacy. Around twenty former conservative presidents of
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and
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issued a joint statement in which they condemned the attempt to disqualify Arévalo and his political party, and compared it to the recent disqualification of the Venezuelan opposition leader
María Corina Machado María Corina Machado Parisca (born 7 October 1967) is a Venezuelan politician and industrial engineer who is currently Venezuelan opposition, opposition leader in Venezuela. She served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela ...
. Argentine journalist Andrés Oppenheimer described the accusations of electoral fraud in Guatemala as an attempted "coup d'état", and compared them to Donald Trump's attempts to annul the results of the elections. United States presidential election of 2020. The Public Prosecutor's Office defended itself by stating that they have no intention of "interfering" or "disabling" the participation of the candidates and that their actions comply with the law. On 17 July, Semilla's legal team recused Judge Orellana, which, according to the law, halted the judicial process until a new judge was selected for the case. A day later, Orellana requested an investigation against the head of the Citizen Registry of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal for not abiding by his judicial resolution, despite the fact that the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
ruled in favor of Semilla and requested that the judge be notified. At the time, the Registrar was out of the country on vacation. In addition, the judge issued an arrest warrant against two former militants of the party. Hours later, the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity ordered the Citizens Registry to report whether it had complied with Judge Orellana's order. Although the Public Ministry had previously stated that its intention was not to interfere in the elections or disqualify any candidate, in the circular sent to the Citizen Registry dated July 18, it was specified that the consequences of canceling the legal personality of the party included the prohibition to participate in any subsequent political act, as well as the inability to assign positions to party candidates. That same day, the Supreme Electoral Court reiterated to the Public Ministry and the judge that it will not suspend the party, citing its basis in the protection extended by the Constitutional Court.


Electoral history


Presidential elections


Legislative elections


References

{{Guatemalan political parties 2018 establishments in Guatemala Political parties established in 2018 Political parties in Guatemala Banned political parties