Guatemala Electoral Tribunal Justices Wrestle With Police as Prosecutors Tried To Seize Vote Tallies

The Guatemala election drama is far from over as police once again tried to raid the Guatemala Electoral Tribunal on Saturday. However, the justices pushed back, literally.

According to the Associated Press, police were involved in a shoving match against the justices of Guatemala's top electoral tribunal. They were seeking to seize the tally sheets of votes from the August presidential elections, which was won by president-elect Bernardo Arevalo by a landslide.

Local and international observers have all stated that they saw no evidence of any fraud during the Guatemala election runoff last August but prosecutors under the Attorney General's Office have claimed that they are investigating "reports" of voter fraud happening.

This led to scenes of the electoral tribunal's justices trying to tightly hold on to the ballot boxes as police tried taking them away. Photos and videos of 70-year-old Justice Maynor Franco refusing to give up his grip on a ballot box against a younger agent trying to wrestle it away have gone viral.

Meanwhile, Justice Blanca Alfaro was seen pleading with officers not to take the boxes, which represented the will of the voters. She was reportedly shoved and briefly fell to the floor during the confrontation.

Guatemala Attorney General and Prosecutor Face Criticisms Over Raid Into Electoral Tribunal

The investigation into the claims of fraud regarding the Guatemala elections is led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras and prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, both of whom are part of a US watchlist for corruption and have been subjected to US sanctions.

Porras has been investigated and accused of being an undemocratic actor and undermining investigations into corruption. Meanwhile, Curruchiche, who has also been accused of corruption, called the raid "a rescue operation for democracy, a rescue operation for sovereignty."

Curruchiche accused the European Union and the Organization of American States of interfering in the internal affairs of Guatemala over their criticisms of his investigation. However, Justice Blanca Alfaro in a tearful voice, pointed out, "The election result has already been officially declared, this cannot be changed."

Critics have said that the investigation and the raids are trying to undermine the will of the voters and damage Arevalo before he takes office, according to DW. The move is seen as trying to protect the country's entrenched political elite.

US Blasts Guatemala Ministry For Interfering With Election

The US State Department expressed that it is "gravely concerned" that Guatemala's Public Ministry is trying to undermine the results of the election as investigations continue to hamper what was supposed to be a peaceful transfer of power to center-left anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo.

"The United States is gravely concerned with continued efforts to undermine Guatemala's peaceful transition of power to President-elect Arevalo," said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement. The US, together with other countries and international organizations like the EU and OAS have decried what is happening in Guatemala.

So far, the Guatemala government has not yet responded to the US statement.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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