Guatemala Protests Intensify as President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo Warns of Government Using Violence To Stamp Out Protests

Protests in Guatemala are intensifying as government-led efforts to stop President-elect Bernardo Arevalo from taking office are becoming more common. Arevalo warns that the government might even use violence to stop these intensifying protests.

The tension between protesters and the government could be used as an excuse for declaring a state of siege, Arevalo warned, as protests entered its eighth straight day, with Arevalo's Seed Movement party remaining suspended and the Guatemala Attorney General continuing its raids against the country's Electoral Tribunal in an effort to find so-called "voter fraud."

According to Reuters, the Attorney General's Office has already faced multiple accusations from the international community, including the US, the EU, and the OAS, of trying to undermine the will of the Guatemalan people by interfering with the elections.

Last August, Arevalo defeated establishment candidate Sandra Torres by a landslide to become president-elect, but the justice system is being used to hamper the transition with raids into his party's offices and the Electoral Tribunal.

Guatemala Attorney General Calls for Authorities To Act Against Protesters Calling For Her Resignation

The protesters are asking Attorney General Consuelo Porras to resign from her position after she continues using her position to go after President-elect Bernardo Arevalo and actively trying to prevent him from taking office in January next year.

However, according to the Associated Press, she now wants authorities to go after these very protesters asking for her resignation. So far, the protests have largely been peaceful and her call for the government to act against them gets credence to Arevalo's warnings.

Many of the disenfranchised in Guatemala, including Indigenous groups and rural dwellers, have taken to the streets to protest on what the government is doing against the man they voted for. While many have blocked roads, blocking over 80 around Guatemala, not much violence has been reported.

Porras described the demonstrations as "illegal" and stated, "I want to express my complete disagreement and distaste" of the protests.

She added that they are clearly violating the rights of all Guatemalans. However, her critics are saying that these protesters are merely showing their right to free speech.

Officials Going After President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo Sanctioned by US Government Over Corruption

The raids against Guatemala's Supreme Electoral Tribunal, as well as Bernardo Arevalo's Seed Movement party, have been perpetrated by prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche under the orders of AG Consuelo Porras. However, in Guatemala, these two officials have been accused of corruption multiple times.

Porras, who became Guatemala AG in 2018 and then in 2021, was accused of "being an undemocratic actor and undermining investigations into corruption," leading to her being sanctioned. She has since denied any wrongdoing, according to The Guardian.

Meanwhile. Rafael Curruchiche, the current chief of the Public Ministry's Office of the Special Prosecutor Against Impunity (FECI), was sanctioned because he obstructed investigations into acts of corruption by disrupting high-profile corruption cases against government officials. He also raised spurious claims against FECI prosecutors, private attorneys, and others who tried going after allegedly corrupt politicians.

Arevalo has campaigned against corruption and has been a shock to the system in Guatemala, which has suffered decades of corruption and political malpractice. His election has unnerved many among the country's political elite.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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