President Bernardo Arévalo's warning about narcopolitics and the risk of electoral capture in Guatemala

Bernardo Arévalo warned that narcopolitics and populism threaten Guatemala's democracy ahead of the 2027 elections. (Guatemalan Presidency) President Bernardo Arévalo warned that narcopolitics and populism threaten Guatemala's democracy and could gain influence by the 2027 elections. Additionally, he called for an investigation into illicit electoral financing to prevent funds from drug trafficking or corruption from influencing parties and results. The electoral process in Guatemala will begin in January of next year with the call for General Elections by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), where different political parties will have just over a month to introduce themselves to the population, despite several already engaging in activities that are being reported as illegal campaigning, casting doubt on the obtaining of funds for early campaigning. Meanwhile, international observers, political analysts, and civil society organizations have denounced the possibility of organized crime presence within some political parties competing in the electoral race. Regarding this, the Guatemalan president stated that the penetration of drug trafficking into Guatemalan politics is not a new phenomenon and tends to increase during electoral periods, when parties and candidates seek resources for propaganda under the idea that greater investment improves their chances at the polls. This dynamic, in his view, opens the door to illicit funds. The President's warning directly pointed to the mechanism that, in his opinion, makes the political system more vulnerable: the search for campaign financing, and he affirmed that some parties are willing to accept resources "from whoever comes" if they believe that money can guarantee electoral visibility. At this point, he noted that these contributions often come from illegal activities. He said they can originate from corruption networks or drug trafficking structures, and suggested that this is one of the central problems of electoral processes. Guatemala's President, Bernardo Arévalo, spoke about narcopolitics embedded in Guatemalan political parties ahead of the 2027 General Elections. The head of state also stated that the relationship between drug trafficking and politics was reflected in specific cases, and although he did not specify names, he mentioned that there were mayors linked to these networks, some of whom confessed to acts in the United States, while others await trial. Furthermore, he claimed that these ties extended to politicians in the Congress of the Republic. As an example, he recalled the case of a former legislator from the previous legislature who admitted to committing crimes related to drug trafficking and is currently serving a sentence in the United States. Arévalo proposed that the response to these links should combine citizen oversight, journalistic coverage, and institutional investigation. "What is needed is, first of all, effective social auditing, that society clearly speaks out about the cases it knows, and that these ties are exposed," he affirmed. In parallel, he called on the Public Ministry to fulfill its task of investigating when connections between political actors and structures associated with drug trafficking exist. In his speech, the leader placed populism on the same level of threat to the democratic quality in Guatemala and other Latin American countries. He defined it as a set of policies oriented toward electoral and polarizing agendas, designed for the short term and not to resolve structural problems that require medium- and long-term development. Guatemala's President, Bernardo Arévalo, refers to populism as a risk point in electoral processes, not only in the country but in Latin America. Arévalo added that these offers can come from the left or the right but share the same logic: seeking immediate support without a genuine intention to address underlying problems. He also stated that the region is experiencing a moment where populisms are very strong on the electoral scene. On this point, he argued that the population must be able to distinguish between real proposals and promises made only to gain support. He said these discourses aim to "sell mirrors" to voters and reach the government to use it as a "small cash box," a practice that, he claimed, was exposed during recent governments.