A top court in Guatemala is expected to rule on Monday whether or not to uphold a constitutional ban that allegedly prohibits Zury Rios, a conservative presidential candidate and daughter of a former military dictator, from running for president due to her father’s participation in the country’s 1982 coup.

Her supporters in Guatemala believe it is unfair for Rios to be judged for the sins of her father, Gen. Efrain Rios Montt.

The late Rios Montt served as the right-wing military dictator backed by the United States who helped oust the government of Gen. Romeo Lucas Garcia over alleged corruption and vote-rigging in 1982 during the Central American country’s civil war between communist guerillas and the government.

Guatemala’s fairly new constitution, adopted in 1985, does bar family members of coup leaders from running for the highest office in the country.

Article 186 of that document states, “The relatives [of coup leaders] to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second of affinity” are not allowed to run for the office of president or vice president.

This year, the country’s top electoral body — the Supreme Electoral Court or TSE for its Spanish name’s acronym — filed an appeal to the country’s top constitutional court against provisional protection granted by the nation’s Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court cleared the way for her to continue with her presidential campaign this year, echoing its decision that allowed Rios to run in 2015.

During the Breitbart News Saturday show on Sirius XM Patriot Channel 125, Cristy Lopez-Ibañez, a Guatemalan-Cuban columnist and political activist who supports Rios for president, stressed to host Matthew Boyle that it is unfair for the candidate to be held responsible for her late father’s actions in the early 80s.

Referring to the electoral body, the Guatemalan activists told Breitbart News, “They’re opposing her candidacy because she is the one person who can actually change things. Of course, they’re talking about a constitutional [ban] they want to apply that, in my opinion, doesn’t apply to her.”

“This constitutional prohibition that they want to apply, I think, is ridiculous because you don’t punish a daughter for something that you’re dad supposedly did,” she added.

Lopez-Ibañez argued that the constitutional ban was only meant to stand for a limited time, adding that it now violates her “human right” to run for office.

“She shouldn’t have to pay for the sins anybody [else] committed,” she said.

Rios’s detractors, coming from both the right and the left, just do not want her to be president, Lopez-Ibañez declared.

“Her chances of winning are very high. So, it’s not only the left that’s against her. There are also various groups that are from the right that are also [plotting] against her,” she said.

Lopez-Ibanez described Rios as a Christian conservative. She acknowledged that although the candidate is not perfect, the public trusts her to keep her promises, which she said makes the candidate similar to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Guatemala’s constitutional court is expected to issue a final decision on whether or not to allow Rios to continue with her campaign on Monday, making the upcoming week decisive for the upcoming general election on June 16.

Rios, one of the top lawmakers in the country, also contends that the Guatemalan government should not punish her for her father’s sins.

“My father is my father. I love him. I respect him. But he was president in the last century. The person running for president this century is me,” Rios declared recently.

In 2013, a Guatemalan court convicted Rios Montt of genocide and crimes against humanity targeting the country’s indigenous Maya population during his short 1982 to 1983 reign, but officials reportedly set aside the ruling.

Rios Montt died before another trial was held. Lopez-Ibanez praised Rios Montt, noting that he was closed to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, improved human rights, restored order, and defeated communist guerilla groups.

She said the charges against the former dictator stem from the left’s resentment towards him taking power.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Rios Montt did not actively participate in the 1982 coup.

On February 13, Guatemala’s Supreme Court unanimously cleared the way for aspiring president Rios to run in the nation’s looming elections.

The country’s top electoral body, however, has filed an appeal against the provisional ruling, citing the constitutional ban for coup-linked candidates. It made a similar attempt in 2015, but the court ultimately allowed Rios to run.

Some local analysts, including Stephanie Rodriguez, believe that the constitutional court will uphold the ban.

“I think the Constitution is very clear and although it seems unfair, this is already established by law,” she told Guatemalan newspaper La Hora.

If the constitutional rules in favor of Rios, the nation’s electoral body can file another appeal to render her candidacy invalid once again. Guatemalan presidents are limited to one term. </s> Guatemala City - Guatemala's top court said on Monday that it had barred the daughter of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt from taking part in presidential elections in June. The Constitutional Court rejected a challenge by Montt's daughter, right-wing politician Zury Rios, to a lower court's decision to block her candidacy, basing its decision on an article of the constitution that bars close relatives of coup leaders from top office.

"The measure limiting a close relative from assuming the position of president or vice president of the republic is logical because it prioritizes the common good over individual interest," the court said in a statement.

A lawyer for Rios, who was vying to succeed President Jimmy Morales, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rios said in an interview with local television that she had not yet been formally notified of the decision and would pursue an international appeal.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal will have 24 hours to revoke Rios' registration, Martin Guzman, the constitutional court's secretary general, said in a press conference.

The constitution prohibits relatives within four degrees of the architects of coups, armed revolutions and similar movements from seeking the nation's top offices, the constitutional court said.

Rios, who had planned to represent the Valor party, also sought the presidency in 2015. She was among the frontrunners for the presidency but trailed behind Thelma Aldana, the former attorney general, in polls.

Her father, Rios Montt, was convicted in 2013 of genocide and crimes against humanity. But barely a week later, judges overturned the sentence.

Rios Montt, who headed a junta that removed President Angel Guevara from power in 1982, died last year at the age of 91. </s> GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s top judicial body said on Monday that it had barred the daughter of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt from participating in the country’s presidential elections in June.

Guatemala’s Constitutional Court rejected a challenge by Montt’s daughter, right-wing politician Zury Rios, to a lower court’s decision to block her candidacy for the presidency, the court said in a statement.

The court based its decision on an article of the Guatemalan constitution that bars close relatives of the leaders of coups d’etat from serving as president or vice president.

“The measure limiting a close relative from assuming the position of president or vice president of the republic is logical because it prioritizes the common good over individual interest,” the court said.

A lawyer for Rios, who was vying to succeed Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rios wrote in a post on Twitter that she would respond to the court’s decision in a television interview later on Monday evening.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal will have 24 hours to revoke Rios’ registration, Martin Guzman, the constitutional court’s secretary general, said in a press conference.

The Guatemalan constitution prohibits relatives within four degrees of the architects of coups d’etat, armed revolutions and similar movements from seeking the nation’s top offices, the constitutional court said.

Rios, who had planned to run representing the Valor party, also sought the presidency in 2015. She was among the frontrunners for the presidency but trailed behind Thelma Aldana, the country’s former attorney general, in polls.

Her father, Rios Montt, was convicted in 2013 of genocide and crimes against humanity. But barely a week later, judges on the country’s top court overturned the sentence.

Rios Montt, who headed a junta that removed President Angel Guevara from power in 1982, died last year at the age of 91. </s> When Guatemalans head to the polling stations on Sunday, two of the candidates who until recently had been tipped as favourites to win will not be on the ballot papers.

Both the former attorney-general, Thelma Aldana, and Zury Ríos, the daughter of the late military ruler, Efraín Ríos Montt, have been barred from running for the presidency and another candidate was arrested in Miami on suspicion of conspiring to import cocaine to the US.

Here is a look at the candidates and the main issues.

How does it work?

The president is elected by absolute majority for a single four-year term. Under Guatemalan law, current President Jimmy Morales cannot stand for a second term.

If no candidate gets more than 50% in the first round on 16 June, the top two candidates will go through to a second round on 11 August.

Nineteen candidates are competing for the presidency, down from the original 24.

Who are the top candidates?

Sandra Torres: 'Leaving a loving marriage for the sake of a nation'

Sandra Torres, 63, is hoping it will be third time lucky for her. She failed in her two previous attempts to be elected president but the most recent opinion polls put her in the lead.

Ms Torres was married to Álvaro Colom, who governed Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, and who is currently under investigation for alleged fraud.

She divorced him in 2011 in order to bypass a law which banned close relatives of the president from succeeding him. At the time she said that "I'm divorcing my husband but I'm getting married to the people".

She also said that she had found it "very difficult" to leave her "loving marriage" to Mr Colom.

In the 2011, her candidacy was rejected by the Constitutional Court but she was allowed to run in 2015. That time, she had enough votes to get her into the second round where she was defeated by Jimmy Morales by a large margin of almost 35 percentage points.

Ms Torres is running for the social-democratic National Unity of Hope party (UNE).

She and her party are under investigation for alleged illegal campaign financing during the last election, which she has denied.

Ms Torres says she will provide "comprehensive solutions like development, fight against poverty and job opportunities" to try to convince Guatemalans to stay in the country rather than migrating to the United States.

The 63-year-old candidate is standing for the right-wing Vamos (Let's Go) party and this is his fourth attempt at becoming president. Each time, he has run for a different party.

Mr Giammattei is a trained doctor who was named director of the Guatemalan prison system in 2006.

That same year, he led a controversial operation to take control of the Pavón prison, which had been run by inmates for a decade. Seven inmates died during the raids by the security forces.

Mr Giammattei was among eight people accused over the incident and after spending 10 months in pre-trial detention, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

He came fourth in the 2015 election.

He says that if he is elected he will build "a wall of prosperity" to keep Guatemalans from migrating to the US.

In order to lessen the disparity between the rich and the poor, he wants to attract more foreign investment to Guatemala by strengthening the protections granted to private property.

The 49-year-old conservative businessman wants to follow in the footsteps of his late father Álvaro, who governed Guatemala from 1996 to 2000.

Roberto Arzú has never held public office but did preside over one of Guatemala's most successful football teams. He has had a string of businesses ranging from sports centres to shopping malls.

The outgoing president, Jimmy Morales, named him ambassador with a special mission to promote trade between Guatemala and South America.

He is standing for a coalition made up of the PAN and Podemos parties. His motto has been "Make Guate great!" using the shortened word for Guatemala and imitating US President Trump's campaign slogan.

He has campaigned mainly on security issues, saying that he will crack down on crime.

A judge in Florida has ordered his arrest over an outstanding debt he owes to Miami-based political campaign strategist JJ Rendón. Mr Arzú says he never signed a contract with Mr Rendón and is therefore not liable for the breach of contract payment.

What are the main issues?

The election was overshadowed by the decision by the constitutional court to bar Thelma Aldana, who had been leading the polls, and Zury Ríos from running.

Polls suggest many voters are undecided and the election outcome is therefore hard to predict.

Guatemalans have told pollsters that their top concern is government corruption.

Four years after large-scale anti-corruption protests forced then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign, many Guatemalans feel not enough has been done by the government of Jimmy Morales to combat corruption.

Mr Morales caused outrage when he tried to kick the UN-backed anti-corruption commission out of Guatemala when it investigated him over alleged corruption.

The most vocal supporter for the commission, known as CICIG by its Spanish initials, has been Thelma Aldana, who as Guatemala's attorney general has worked closely with it. Before she was barred, she said she would strengthen CICIG and make government more efficient and transparent.

Mr Arzú, on the other hand, has been openly critical of the CICIG, accusing it of "violating national sovereignty", and Mr Giammattei said he was opposed to the commission because "justice must be from Guatemalans, for Guatemalans, by Guatemalans". </s> Ex-senator Bongbong Marcos' lawyer says Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos is not accredited, but she was still 'allowed by the PET to enter' on April 2

It was not surprising for Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos to show up at the Supreme Court (SC) as the ballot recount for the vice presidential electoral protest began on Monday, April 2.

After all, it was her brother, ex-senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr, who filed the electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. (READ: TIMELINE: Marcos-Robredo election case)

But according to Robredo's lawyer Bernadette Sardillo, Imee should not have been able to enter the ballot revision or recount site in the first place.

Sardillo hit back at Imee after the latter granted a media interview on Tuesday, April 3, to defend her brother, whose claims of anomalies regarding ballot boxes were tagged as "fake news" by Robredo's other legal counsel, Romulo Macalintal.

"With all due respect to Ms Marcos, we had to answer the lies that they wanted to propagate. She should advise her brother to consult his legal team first before ranting to the media," said Sardillo.

"If it is following the rules of PET (Presidential Electoral Tribunal) that are being placed in issue, maybe Ms Marcos should also explain why she blatantly violated the rules when she gatecrashed the revision area," she added.

But did Imee really enter without authorization?

Only the protestant, protestee, their respective revisors, alternate revisors, lawyers, and other observers accredited by the PET are allowed to enter the 5th floor gymnasium at the SC-Court of Appeals building.

Sources, including Bongbong's lawyer George Garcia, confirmed Imee was able to enter the venue on Monday, along with Bongbong and his wife, Louise Araneta Marcos.

The Marcos camp's legal counsel said Bongbong and Louise are part of the accreditation list, but not Imee.

Nevertheless, Garcia said the governor was still "allowed by the PET to enter" on Monday morning.

He then said the PET had to "apologize" for this when the tribunal met with the lawyers of both the Marcos and Robredo camps on Monday afternoon.

"The PET even apologized for the inadvertence when they allowed Gov Imee...The PET said it will not happen again," said Garcia.

Rule 16 of the PET Revisor Guide for the Revision of Ballots under the Automated Election System says that the only ones who can observe the ballot recount proceedings at the venue are the protestant, protestee, their respective duly accredited party supervisor, party counsel, "and such other persons as may be authorized by the Tribunal."

The PET had required both the Marcos and Robredo camps to submit the names, addresses, and photos of all party revisors, alternate supervisors, and counsels for accreditation to gain access to the ballot recount site by March 27. – Rappler.com </s> Guatemala's top electoral court has accepted three challenges to the presidential candidacy of former chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana, at least temporarily leaving her outside the race.

Jorge Mario Valenzuela, one of the Supreme Electoral Court judges who voted against Aldana, says one of the challenges alleged that Aldana did not have a certification from the comptroller's office indicating that her public accounts were all settled. The certificate is a requirement of candidates.

When Aldana registered her candidacy she had the certificate, but when the court later asked the comptroller it was told the document was expired.

Aldana could still appeal the decision. The challenges were brought by political rivals. </s> Simone Gbagbo had been charged with orchestrating attacks on supporters of her husband's opponent after 2010 election.

An Ivory Coast court has found former first lady Simone Gbagbo not guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity after a trial on her alleged role in postelection abuses that led to the deaths of thousands.

Judge Kouadio Bouatchi with the country's highest criminal court said a jury unanimously voted on Tuesday to free Gbagbo.

The prosecution had asked for a life sentence, saying she participated on a committee that organised attacks against supporters of her husband's opponent after the 2010 election.

Once dubbed Ivory Coast's "Iron Lady," Gbagbo, who was not in court on Tuesday, must still serve 20 years in prison after being found guilty in 2015 of offenses against the state.

The prosecution had called on the jury to find the 67-year-old wife of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo "guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentence her to life imprisonment," said prosecutor Aly Yeo.

"After her spouse came to power, she started to impose herself as the real head of Ivory Coast, the army, the police and gendarmerie," Yeo said.

Laurent Gbagbo is on trial for crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and persecution, having been handed over in November 2011 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The ICC also wanted to prosecute his wife and issued a warrant for her arrest, but Ivorian authorities refused to hand her over, insisting she would receive a fair trial at home.

Ivory Coast descended into civil war in 2011 after Gbagbo's refusal to accept defeat to Alassane Ouattara in a presidential runoff election. About 3,000 people were killed in the conflict.

"We regret this decision when we think of the many victims," Soungaola Coulibaly, lawyer for the victims, told Reuters.

"If Simone Gbagbo is declared not guilty of these acts then who was? ... The victims do not understand this decision."

Human Rights Watch said the judgement left "unanswered serious questions about her alleged role in brutal crimes".

"The acquittal ... reflects the many irregularities in the process against her," Param-Preet Singh, associate director in Human Rights Watch's International Justice programme, said.

"The poor quality of the investigation and weak evidence presented in her trial underscore the importance of the ICC's outstanding case against her for similar crimes." </s> Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | An Ivory Coast jury on Tuesday acquitted former first lady Simone Gbagbo of crimes against humanity during the 2010-11 post-election crisis in a stunning verdict after the prosecution had sought to jail her for life.

“A majority of the jury declared Simone Gbagbo not guilty of the crimes of which she has been accused, pronounced her acquittal and ordered that she be immediately freed if she is not being held for other reasons, ” said the head of the country’s top criminal court, judge Kouadjo Boiqui.

Once dubbed Ivory Coast’s “Iron Lady,” Gbagbo, who was not in court Tuesday, is already serving a 20-year sentence for “endangering state security.”

The prosecution in summing up its case against the 67-year-old wife of ex-president Laurent Gbagbo on Tuesday had called on the jury to find her “guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes and sentence her to life imprisonment,” said prosecutor Aly Yeo.

He described her as a shadowy figure who orchestrated attacks on her husband’s opponents.

“After her spouse came to power, she started to impose herself as the real head of Ivory Coast, the army, the police and gendarmerie,” Yeo said.

Laurent Gbagbo is on trial for crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and persecution, having been handed over in November 2011 to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The ICC also wanted to prosecute his wife and issued a warrant for her arrest, but Ivorian authorities refused to hand her over, insisting she would receive a fair trial at home.

The judge also said that the parties had 60 days to appeal the verdict which the jury reached after deliberating for six hours.

Following the 2010 presidential elections, some 3,000 people died in five months of unrest in the cocoa-rich west African state after Laurent Gbagbo, who lost to current Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara, refused to step down.

The prosecution charged that Simone Gbagbo had headed a crisis cell — “a genuine decision-making body” that allegedly coordinated attacks by armed forces and pro-Gbagbo militias.

The evidence came from documents found in the home of the presidential couple when the pair were arrested on September 11, 2011, he said.

“She replied to correspondence from arms dealers offering weapons and combat helicopters,” said Yeo.

She was accused of distributing arms to militias backing her husband following his election defeat.

In one case, she allegedly played an indirect role in the shelling of a market in Abobo, a Ouattara stronghold in the economic capital Abidjan, in November 2010. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Maryam Nawaz (R) led the campaign for her mother Kulsoom (L)

The wife of Pakistan's former prime minister who stepped down over a corruption inquiry has won a key seat in Lahore, unofficial results suggest.

Kulsoom Nawaz stood in place of her husband Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified from office in July.

She won 61,254 votes, 14,188 more than her nearest rival, local media say.

The vote was seen by both the ruling PML-N party and the opposition as a referendum on the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify Mr Sharif.

Ms Nawaz is currently in London for cancer treatment. Her daughter, Maryam, spearheaded the campaign for the PML-N party in her absence.

"This is not an ordinary victory," Maryam told party supporters after the unofficial results were declared. "You have defeated not only people who were in the field but also those who are invisible."

She said winning her father's former seat in the family's hometown showed that people had rejected the "unjust decision" to disqualify her father.

But, if the results are confirmed, the party's share of the vote in the key constituency has dropped by about 7%.

The Supreme Court barred Mr Sharif from office after an inquiry into the 2016 Panama Papers dump linked his children to offshore companies.

He has always denied the allegations, but the Supreme Court has dismissed petitions seeking a review of its decision.

Media reports suggested a large turnout for the vote on Sunday, with long queues forming outside polling stations.

Image copyright AFP Image caption The military helped to provide security for the by-election

The election was contested by all the major parties, as well as two new Islamist opposition parties.

PML-N faced a strong challenge from the PTI party led by cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan and the Pakistan People's Party of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

The by-election was also seen as a test of support for the Sharif family ahead of next year's general election.

Maryam Nawaz, who does not hold political office but is a high-profile figure in Pakistan, alleged that several PML-N party workers had been threatened ahead of polling day.

She took centre stage in the lead-up to the vote and during the campaign sought to portray it as the "people's verdict" on her father's disqualification.

In a recent BBC interview she said the issue had "galvanised his supporters" and that public sentiment was "very positive".

More than 320,000 voters took part in the poll, which for the first time in Pakistan's history was conducted using Biometric Voter Verification Machines in some the constituency's 220 polling stations, Dawn News reported.
The Constitutional Court determines that Zury Ríos has a constitutional impediment to be a presidential candidate and leaves her out of the electoral contest. Her constitutional impediment is for being the daughter of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt.