US embassy cable - 03GUATEMALA1896

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GUATEMALA 001896 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINR, KDEM, GT 
SUBJECT: INDIGENOUS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DISCUSSES 
ELECTION SCENARIOS 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: Indigenous presidential candidate and mayor 
of Guatemala's second city Rigoberto Queme told the 
Ambassador July 18 that the Constitutional Court's decision 
to allow Rios Montt to run for President was fracturing the 
indigenous movement politically, with some groups calling for 
a boycott of the elections (to include Queme withdrawing his 
candidacy) so as not to lend legitimacy to flawed elections. 
Queme agreed with the Ambassador that an indigenous boycott 
would only improve Rios Montt's odds of victory (press 
reports of July 23 have Queme staying in the race).  Queme 
said Rios Montt's support is underestimated and lamented his 
own lack of campaign finances.  End Summary. 
 
2. (SBU) The Ambassador and A/PolCouns breakfasted with 
indigenous presidential candidate and Mayor of Quezaltenango 
Rigoberto Queme at the Residence on July 18.  In a 
sophisticated analysis, Queme concluded that Rios Montt's 
support in the countryside, especially among indigenous 
communities, is widely underestimated.  Due primarily to lack 
of education, indigenous communities tend to view their 
problems in a local, horizontal context, i.e. their enemies 
are neighbors who were civil defense patrol members, without 
understanding the vertical context, i.e. their enemies were 
organized and directed by the military high command, which 
included Rios Montt.  As a result, Rios Montt largely escapes 
blame among poor, indigenous Guatemalans for the human rights 
abuses of the internal conflict. 
 
3. (SBU) Queme characterized the indigenous as "faithful" to 
their employers and feared that, for many, the act of voting 
would be considered as just another job to be carried out as 
instructed by the "patron," rather than a civic duty to be 
carried out in the privacy of the voting booth.  Although 
communities that suffered massacres during the internal armed 
conflict still fear the military, Queme argued that this fear 
also translates into great respect for the law and order only 
the military is perceived as bringing.  Rios Montt will be 
able to appeal to that respect, Queme predicted, and his call 
for "strong hand" government will resonate.  As an example, 
Queme pointed to the tax uprising two years ago in majority 
indigenous Totonicapan where the houses of the mayor and 
Congressman (both members of Rios Montt's ruling FRG party) 
were burned.  The police needed military assistance to 
restore order.  When the Constitutional Court recently ruled 
Rios Montt could run for President, Totonicapan threw its 
largest party in recent memory to celebrate. 
 
4. (SBU) Queme criticized what he called the "privatization" 
of electoral campaigns which he said drives up costs and 
prevents small parties from getting their messages out.  He 
compared the tens and even hundreds of millions of Quetzales 
some political parties were prepared to spend with the less 
than 100 thousand his movement had been able to raise 
(roughly USD 13,000).  Queme mentioned that he receives some 
international financial assistance for his campaign and that 
the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation provided a house as campaign 
headquarters.  Queme lamented the difficulty of organizing 
with only sporadic resources, but also said it kept him 
focused on the grassroots.  Word of mouth is still his best 
tool. 
 
5. (SBU) Queme acknowledged his electoral prospects were 
minimal, but said he was carving out a space at the end of 
his political life that other indigenous leaders would be 
able to use as a starting point.  Queme is fond of pointing 
out that patience is a Mayan virtue and that it took 25 years 
of determined effort for an indigenous candidate to win the 
Mayor's office in Quezaltenango.  He often adds that the most 
difficult part of that effort was uniting various indigenous 
groups.  Queme said he was considering offers to run as 
vice-president on other tickets, but felt that doing so could 
dilute the impact of indigenous votes.  In a recent press 
interview, Queme stated that the left-leaning ANN party was 
considering throwing its weight behind his campaign.  (Note: 
Queme's current campaign structure consists of Xel-Ju, the 
social movement behind his mayoral campaigns, and an alliance 
with two small political parties (Transparencia and CASA). 
Transparencia is threatening to pull out of the alliance 
since it cannot compete with the ANN in terms of resources. 
End Note.)  In the same interview, Queme indicated that he 
was considering a proposal to run as Vice President on the 
UNE ticket.  On July 23, newspapers reported that Queme, 
after meetings with party supporters, will stay in the race. 
 
6. (SBU) Comment: Soft-spoken, articulate, and widely read, 
Queme projects a polished image.  Twice elected mayor of 
Guatemala's second city, Queme has proven an able 
administrator and consensus builder capable of reaching 
across racial lines.  Queme's primary success as mayor lay in 
managing his growing city's public services problems and 
allying fears that an indigenous mayor would be able to 
govern a city divided almost equally between indigenous and 
non-indigenous citizens. Although Queme is proud of his 
indigenous heritage, he told the Ambassador that he does not 
speak any indigenous languages.  Queme's foray into 
presidential politics, while not expected to draw much 
national attention even among indigenous voters, will set a 
precedent that new generations of indigenous political 
leaders will benefit from. 
HAMILTON