Earlier this year, President Tsai Ing-wen described her visit to Guatemala as necessary to “stand firm in defense of freedom and democracy”, and Presidential Office Spokesperson Olivia Lin described President Alejandro Giammattei’s visit to Taiwan as “bolstering our joint efforts toward global democratic resilience”. This was despite the international community having already expressed concern about the lack of democracy under Giammattei, international human rights organizations having criticized the ban of several opposition candidates in Guatemala’s presidential election on June 25, and the United States having already criticized the deterioration of the rule of law and the persecution of journalists.
In the presidential election on June 25, Bernardo Arevalo, the candidate of the Movimiento Semilla or Seed Movement who had campaigned against corrupt elite like President Giammattei, surprisingly advanced to the second round to be held on August 20. President Giammattei’s government has since engaged in all types of “lawfare” to find a legal basis to disqualify Arevalo.
The State Department issued a statement on July 2 titled Election Interference in Guatemala and issued another statement on July 13 titled “Continued Threats to the Integrity and Credibility of Guatemala’s Election”. On July 19, the State Department announced sanctions on ten current and former Guatemalan officials for corruption as well as undermining democratic processes. On July 22 the Organization of American States Electoral Observer Mission issued a statement to condemn political persecution by President Giammattei’s government.
The China Times inquired with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Taiwan’s position on election interference by President Giammattei’s government. The ministry told us “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs respects the operations of Guatemala’s judicial and election processes, and the election result produced by the Guatemalan people in accordance with democratic procedures”.
The Taiwan government is reluctant to criticize its good friend President Giammattei.
Oddly, this means the ruling Democratic Progressive Party supports the conservative President Giammattei who generally does not share the same values, and does in order to ensure that the progressive Semilla does not win the election and switch diplomatic relations to the mainland.
In Honduras, Taiwan repeatedly praised its relationship with former President Juan Orlando Hernández even though he was already under investigation for drug trafficking and other crimes. Thus, it came as no surprise when President Xiomara Castro, a political enemy of Hernández, remembered Taiwan’s friendliness with him and terminated diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Democratic countries are disgusted by the actions of President Giammattei’s government, but Taiwan does not criticize him. Taiwan’s motivation is understandable, but it puts Taiwan on the wrong side of democracy development in Guatemala, and increases the likelihood that if Arevalo wins the second round, he will terminate relations with Taiwan.