Guatemala: US and Brazil Warn of Attempts To Stop President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo From Taking Office

International concern regarding democracy in Guatemala is rising, with the US and Brazil now warning of a possible coup to stop President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo from actually becoming the president of Guatemala.

Brazil President Lula is echoing Bernardo Arevalo's warning that there is a coup happening, while the US has already denounced the attempts to undermine the will of the people of Guatemala and disregard the results of the election.

Arevalo won the election via a landslide against establishment candidate Sandra Torres. However, elements within the country's political elite, headed by the Guatemala Attorney General and the justice system, are making it hard for the center-left president-elect to take power.

During his address to the UN General Assembly, Lula warned that there is a crisis in Guatemala after the recent "institutional ruptures" in the African nations of Burkina Faso, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Sudan. He warned that "In Guatemala, there's the risk of a coup, which would prevent the winner of democratic elections taking office."

The Brazilian president's UNGA remarks came after US Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS) Francisco Mora said that the situation in Guatemala is "troubling," according to The Guardian.

The ambassador noted that the US is "deeply concerned about the unprecedented actions of those seeking to undermine democracy in Guatemala by discrediting and obstructing a smooth transition of power." He added. "Such anti-democratic behavior, including ongoing efforts by the public ministry and other corrupt individuals to suspend the president-elect's political party, all subverts the clear will of the Guatemalan people."

Mora also slammed the Guatemala AG's election meddling, saying, "In a healthy democracy, institutions don't tamper with ballot boxes after election results have been officially certified by the appropriate authority. Such interference and lawfare ... strikes at the very heart of the democratic process and represents an assault on the rule of law."

US President Joe Biden and Brazil President Lula Meet During UN General Assembly

Aside from uniting on the issue of Guatemala, the leaders of the US and Brazil also met one another in the backdrop of the UN General Assembly.

According to the Associated Press, the two leaders announced a new partnership on supporting labor. However, they avoided discussing their disagreements, including the US policy on Cuba and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This meeting also came mere hours before Lula met with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenskyy.

"When the middle does well, everybody does well," Biden said to Lula during the meeting, "Working-class folks have a chance to move up. And the wealthy still do fine, as long as they pay their taxes." Meanwhile, Lula stated that he had never heard an American president speak so highly of workers before describing their common cause for labor as "a chance to transform ties between the countries."

Protests in Guatemala To Defend Election of President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo

As the Guatemala AG is continuing its investigation into Arevalo and his Seed Movement party, many in the country have taken to the streets in protest and defend their votes.

The AG recently raided the country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal, opened ballot boxes, and took pictures of the ballots. Experts have pointed out that this may be an illegal act. This then led Arevalo to suspend his transition and call for protests in the streets.

Indigenous leaders and other protesters marched through the streets of the capital, Guatemala City, all in support of Arevalo. They also call the actions against the president-elect a "coup." Arevalo and his running mate, Karin Herrera, were also present in the protests.

Protesters also called for the resignations of several Guatemala officials, including Attorney General María Consuelo Porras, prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, and Judge Fredy Orellana. Porras and Curruchiche are currently listed on the US's corruption watchlist, according to Al Jazeera.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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