1944 Guatemalan parliamentary by-election explained

By-elections to fill vacancies in the Congress were held in Guatemala on 13 October 1944. Congressional elections were blatantly manipulated to insure the election of government candidates.^[1] Following the example of former president Ubico, president Ponce Vaides rigged the congressional elections in October 1944, in which the official slate won 48,530 votes out of a total of 44,571 ballots.^[2] The ruling Progressive Liberal Party's candidates easily captured the five congressional seats available.^[3]

On 20 October 1944, young military officers deposed President Ponce in a lightning-quick coup.^[4] The junta immediately dissolved the legislature and set dates for three elections: congressional, 3-5 November; presidential, 17-19 December; and, constituent assembly, 28-30 December.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Berger, Susan Ann. State and agrarian development: Guatemala (1931-1978). New York: Columbia University. Unpublished dissertation. 1986. Pp. 134.
2. Yashar, Deborah J. Demanding democracy: reform and reaction in Costa Rica and Guatemala, 1870s-1950s. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1997. Pp. 96.
3. Leonard, Thomas M. The United States and Central America, 1944-1949: perceptions of political dynamics. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. 1984. Pp. 82.
4. Dosal, Paul J. Doing business with the dictators: a political history of United Fruit in Guatemala, 1899-1944. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources. 1993. Pp. 226.
5. Leonard, Thomas M. The United States and Central America, 1944-1949: perceptions of political dynamics. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. 1984. Pp. 84.