Guatemala: Information on the current (1995) status and leadership of the Christian Democratic Party and on the treatment of its members by the government and security forces

The most recent information available to the DIRB indicates that the Christian Democratic Party (DC or DCG) is part of an alliance formed with the Unión del Centro Nacional (UCN) and the Partido Socialista Democrático (PSD) to contest the upcoming presidential elections (Latin American Weekly Report 31 Aug. 1995, 396). The coalition supports the presidential bid of former foreign minister Fernando Andrade (ibid.).

The attached articles published in Central America Report and Central America NewsPak refer to the Christian Democratic Party's current status as part of the above-mentioned alliance, and its previous support for former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt.

One of the attached articles analyzes the party's recent past, as well as its alleged links with corruption, various political forces and the military, among others (Central America Report 28 Apr. 1995, 7). The source states that the three members of the alliance "have the reputation of willingness to wheel and deal with whoever is in power," and adds that "the Christian Democrats in the past have made alliances with [former president] Serrano, Ríos Montt and are widely perceived as having led a corrupt government that failed to confront military influence and investigate human rights abuses" (ibid.). The article's asserts that the Christian Democrats established an alliance with Ríos Montt, but another recent attachment points out that 360 Christian Democrat acitivists were killed during that 10-month regime (CERIGUA 10 Jan. 1995).

The first article states that the DC considers the Party for National Advancement (PAN) "its principal enemy," and points out that DC deputies were among the reputedly corrupt members labeled "purgeables" in the previous congress. The announcement of the triple alliance apparently prompted eight of the 12 DC congressional deputies to abandon their party and begin negotiations with Ríos Montt's Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) (Central America Report 28 Apr. 1995, 7). Please refer to the cited attachment for additional details.

Please note also that conflicts between the Christian Democrat government and the military or other interest groups during the past administration of Christian Democrat president Vinicio Cerezo were not researched for the purposes of this Response. Information on the Cerezo administration can be found in your Regional Documentation Centre or researched upon further request.

The documents attached to this Response mention various DC personalities, including the party's secretary-general, Alfonso Cabrera. However, no 1995 report consulted by the DIRB provides a detailed description of this group's leadership structure.

Information on a particular treatment or abuse of DC members by the government or the military in 1995 could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. The attached documents, however, provide some comments on possible links between some DC leaders and sectors of the military.

Additional recent references to the Christian Democrat party of Guatemala and political developments in that country can be found in the Indexed Media Review (IMR), which is prepared by the DIRB and is available at your Regional Documentation Centre.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Central America Report [Guatemala City]. 28 April 1995. "Guatemala: DC-UCN-PSD Alliance Changes Electoral Panorama."

CERIGUA [Mexico City]. 10 January 1995. "Christian Democrat Backs Rios Montt's Bid to Run for President." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 9-22 Jan. 1995, Vol. 9, No. 25, p. 9)

Latin American Weekly Report [London]. 31 August 1995. "Guatemala: Politican Assassinated."

Attachments

Central America Report [Guatemala City]. 26 May 1995. "Guatemala: Elections Convened; Ríos Montt's Chance Slim," pp. 1-2.

_____. 28 April 1995. "Guatemala: DC-UCN-PSD Alliance Changes Electoral Panorama," pp. 6-8.

CERIGUA [Mexico City]. 10 January 1995. "Christian Democrat Backs Rios Montt's Bid to Run for President." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 9-22 Jan. 1995, Vol. 9, No. 25, p. 9)

InterPress Service (IPS). 21 January 1995. "Deputy Quits to Protest Party's Support for Ríos Montt." (Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 23 Jan.-5 Feb. 1995, Vol. 9, No. 26, p. 6)

Additonal Sources Consulted

Guatemala Human Rights Update [Washington, DC]. Irregular Publication.

Guatemala Human Rights Commission Bulletin [Washington, DC]. Irregular Publication.

Guatemala Human Rights Commission Urgent Action [Washington, DC]. Irregular Publication.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Latin America Daily Report. Daily.

Human Rights Watch World Report. Yearly. New York: Human Rights Watch.

Keesing's Record of World Events [London]. Monthly.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. Weekly.

Latin American Regional Reports: Central America & the Caribbean [London]. Monthly.

News from Human Rights Watch/Americas [New York]. Monthly.

Material from the Indexed Media Review (IMR) or country files containing articles and reports from diverse sources (primarily dailies and periodicals) from the Weekly Media Review.

On-line searches of news articles.

Note:

               This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books available in the Resource Centre are not included.