Encuentro por Guatemala
Encyclopedia
Encuentro por Guatemala
– a Spanish
name variously translated as "Encounter for Guatemala" (for example, by the BBC
and CNN
), or as "Together for Guatemala" (Reuters
) –
is a Guatemala
n political party; encuentro may also translate as "gathering", "meeting", or "union".
Its logo is a red circle with four green dots on its circumference, representing the coming together of the four peoples that make up the Guatemalan nationality: Mayas, Garifunas, Xincas
and Ladinos
.
. Its presidential candidate was Rigoberta Menchú
, the Nobel Peace Prize
-winning indigenous activist, running on a ticket with businessman Luis Fernando Montenegro as her vice-presidential hopeful. They secured 3.09% of the popular vote.
In the Congressional
election held on the same day, the party fared somewhat better, receiving 6.17% of the popular vote, which was enough to secure them four national-list deputies in Congress for the 2008–12 legislative period: Armando Sánchez Gómez, Rodolfo Aníbal García, Nineth Montenegro
and Otilia Lux. Subsequently, only Nineth Montenegro has remained with the party; the other three deputies have left Encounter for Guatemala to operate as independents. Rodolfo Aníbal García has since formed a new political movement, the New Republic Movement (Movimiento Nueva República) currently a party pre-formation committee, that will participate in the upcoming elections as part of the Broad Leftist Front (Frente Amplio de Izquierda). Rigoberta Menchú has gone on to form the Winaq
political party to participate in the 2011 elections.
– a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
name variously translated as "Encounter for Guatemala" (for example, by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
), or as "Together for Guatemala" (Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
) –
is a Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
n political party; encuentro may also translate as "gathering", "meeting", or "union".
Its logo is a red circle with four green dots on its circumference, representing the coming together of the four peoples that make up the Guatemalan nationality: Mayas, Garifunas, Xincas
Xinca people
The Xinca are a non-Mayan indigenous people of Mesoamerica, with communities in the southern portion of Guatemala, near its border with El Salvador, and in the mountainous region to the north....
and Ladinos
Ladino people
Ladino is a Spanish term used to describe various socio-ethnic categories in Latin America, principally in Central America.The term Ladino is derived from "latino" and usually refers to the mestizo or hispanicized population...
.
2007 election
The party was founded in 2007, in the run-up to that year's 9 September general electionGuatemalan general election, 2007
A general election was held in Guatemala in two rounds on 9 September and 4 November 2007. Voters went to the polls to elect a new President and Vice President of the Republic, 158 congressional deputies, and 332 mayors.-Results:...
. Its presidential candidate was Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an indigenous Guatemalan, of the K'iche' ethnic group. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous peoples during and after the Guatemalan Civil War , and to promoting indigenous rights in the country...
, the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
-winning indigenous activist, running on a ticket with businessman Luis Fernando Montenegro as her vice-presidential hopeful. They secured 3.09% of the popular vote.
In the Congressional
Congress of Guatemala
The Congress of the Republic is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Guatemala.It comprises 158 deputies, who are elected by direct universal suffrage to serve four-year terms . Twenty-nine of these are elected from nationwide lists, with the rest on a district list basis...
election held on the same day, the party fared somewhat better, receiving 6.17% of the popular vote, which was enough to secure them four national-list deputies in Congress for the 2008–12 legislative period: Armando Sánchez Gómez, Rodolfo Aníbal García, Nineth Montenegro
Nineth Montenegro
Nineth Varenca Montenegro Cottom is a Guatemalan human rights activist and Congressional representative. Her first husband, union leader and activist Fernando García, was abducted by government security agents on 18 February 1984....
and Otilia Lux. Subsequently, only Nineth Montenegro has remained with the party; the other three deputies have left Encounter for Guatemala to operate as independents. Rodolfo Aníbal García has since formed a new political movement, the New Republic Movement (Movimiento Nueva República) currently a party pre-formation committee, that will participate in the upcoming elections as part of the Broad Leftist Front (Frente Amplio de Izquierda). Rigoberta Menchú has gone on to form the Winaq
Winaq
Winaq is a political party in Guatemala whose most notable member is Rigoberta Menchú, who is ethnically K'iche'. Its name comes from the K'iche'ean word for "people", "winaq". It is a party whose roots are in the indigenous communities of Guatemala. It hopes to present a candidate for the 2011...
political party to participate in the 2011 elections.