Guatemala: President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo Says He Is Ready To Call People to the Streets After Government Raided Election Tribunal

Guatemala President-elect Bernardo Arevalo is standing defiant amid the government's efforts to try and derail his landslide election win last month as he says he wants to call the people of Guatemala to the streets to protest these efforts.

The center-left-leaning president-elect, who came out of nowhere to win in a landslide against a heavily favored establishment opponent, sat down with the Associated Press, which noted that this was his first call to action since winning the run-off against former First Lady Sandra Torres on August 20.

Even though he won the election and international observers and the country's Supreme Election Tribunal declared that there were no anomalies with his win, the attorney general's office has continued pursuing multiple investigations against him and his party, the Seed Movement.

During the interview, Arevalo admitted that he has already tried "his own legal maneuvers to stop those who want to keep him from power." However, he says that he feels it is necessary to come out to the streets to support him, adding that he wants to see businesspeople, farmers, Indigenous groups, and workers all come out to reject what the Guatemala AG is doing.

He noted that this protest would be against the entire system that has plagued Guatemala with corruption and not just be for himself and his party. He promised it would be for "a people that feels cheated, against a system that is trying to mock them."

The Guatemala Attorney General's Office has faced some massive backlash internationally over its actions in hampering the peaceful transition of power, though it reportedly stated that it is only doing its job and following the law.

Guatemala President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo Suspends Transition Amid Investigation

Shortly after forces with the Guatemala AG's Office raided several locations related to the Guatemala Supreme Election Tribunal and opened ballot boxes to take pictures of the votes, Arevalo announced that he would be suspending his transition temporarily.

According to Reuters, Arevalo called the prosecutor's office's investigation of his landslide win part of a coup attempt to stop him from taking power. He added that the raids, which happened last week, are "flagrant crimes of abuse of authority for electoral purposes" and that the AG's actions violated the constitution.

He already informed sitting President Alejandro Giammattei that he would only resume the transition once the "necessary institutional (and) political conditions are reestablished."

Guatemala Attorney General Has Been Facing Calls To Resign For Months

According to Scheer Post, Attorney General María Consuelo Porras and the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, Rafael Curruchiche, who are the ones leading the investigations against the Seed Movement, are both sanctioned by the United States over corruption. Both officials are part of the Engel List of corrupt and anti-democratic actors.

People have been organizing to protest and demand the resignations of both officials since the first round of voting on June 25. In addition, a Change.org petition collected over 220,000 signatures to ask for their resignation as well.

Indigenous communities in Guatemala are also protesting them, with some even threatening to block highways if Porras and Curruchiche do not resign.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Guatemalan presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo on immigration | USA TODAY