Guatemalans Persist in Defending President-Elect Arevalo
On November 22, the President-Elect of Guatemala, Bernardo Arevalo, once again rejected the accusations brought against him by the corrupt Public Prosecutor's Office which is determined to impede his inauguration in January 2024.
The President-Elect, who leads a party called Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement), defended both his innocence and that of his party members in a case involving alleged damage to national heritage filed on November 16. The Prosecutor's Office aims to implicate Vice President-Elect Karin Herrera in the same case.
During the presentation of the case, the Prosecutor's Office stated that the accusations stemmed from the occupation of the San Carlos University campus between April and June 2022 by dozens of students protesting what they considered to be the fraudulent election of the public university’s new rector. The Prosecution alleges that Arevalo supported and encouraged the students’ actions. Since his election on August 20 this year, Arevalo has warned that the Attorney General Consuelo Porras is orchestrating a coup d'état against him to prevent his inauguration on January 14, 2024.
"No one should be persecuted for their political opinions. Truth and justice will prevail. We will not let them trample the seed of hope," Arevalo said in the Congress adding that the case against him lacks substance.
Former Semilla congressional candidate Marcela Blanco provided her first statement in the legal proceedings initiated on November 16 against 27 people (five currently detained) for an alleged case of damage to national heritage. This is the same case linking Arevalo, Herrera, several Semilla legislators and opposition activists. "This is a case of political persecution for exposing corruption," Blanco said when she arrived at the court building before the start of the proceedings.
A judge sanctioned by the U.S., Victor Cruz, initiated the proceedings through which he will decide whether to charge Blanco and other students and university professors.
Since July 12, the Prosecutor's Office has taken legal action against Guatemala's electoral process, attempting to disqualify Arevalo's party and overturn the results of the elections held on June 25 and August 20.
But Guatemalans continue to defend President-Elect Arevalo. Several caravans of vehicles demonstrated against the Prosecutor's attempts to prevent Arevalo from taking office. Caravans from the western region of the country concluded their route in Guatemala City, joining Indigenous organizations and other sectors to protest in defence of democracy. The protest was called the previous week by Indigenous communities and supported by the transport guild of the department of Sololá.
On November 17, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "alarmed" by the recent actions of the Prosecutor's Office. He appealed to the authorities to ensure that the democratic will expressed at the polls is respected.
This article was published in
Volume 53
Number 11 - November 2023
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2023/Articles/M5301111.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca