Guatemala Election Watch #27

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September 18, 2023


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Guatemala Election Watch #27
President-elect Bernardo Arevalo calls on population to defend democracy
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Three months, 26 days until January 14, 2024 transfer of power
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Presidente electo, Bernardo Arévalo. Prensa Comunitaria

President-Elect Calls on the Population to Defend Democracy
By Shirly Rodriguez
September 16, 2023

President-elect Bernardo Arévalo sent a message to the general population to accompany him, this Monday [September 18], to presxent an appeal before the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), at 5pm.

The objective of this appeal, according to Arévalo, is to restore constitutional order and also to demand the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI), Rafael Curruchiche, and Judge Fredy Orellana, whom he claims to be the most prominent figures in an attempted coup d'état.

Arevalo summons the indigenous peoples, neighbors, social organizations, university students, businessmen, workers, faith communities, prosecutors and former prosecutors, also those who were part of the Voting Boards, and volunteers who participated in the campaign of the Semilla party.

In the message, the president-elect calls people to participate in this activity to demand the continuation of the actions against the electoral process that the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) has maintained since the first electoral round.

"We want to ask you to accompany us to deliver this injunction as an expression of national unity and defense of democracy," he said.

The meeting point of the call is at the Plaza de los Derechos Humanos of the CSJ, but also those who cannot make it to the capital of the country are asked to gather in the municipal and community parks to also accompany them.

These actions are part of the dissatisfaction that citizens, at a national level, have expressed for the actions of Attorney General Porras, Prosecutor Curruchiche and Judge Orellana who, using their position, have undertaken to undermine democracy and also violate the rights of citizens who elected at the polls.

"For those who cannot join us in this meeting in the capital, congregate in the squares of your departmental capitals and municipalities, to demonstrate and to make visible your repudiation of the coup perpetrators. This Monday, September 18, out with the coup plotters", concluded the president elect.

In some territories, the call to travel from their communities to reach the capital has begun. In Quetzaltenango a civil society group is organizing its departure to accompany this call.

In the last week, the MP has been in the international spotlight for the last raid it carried out, in which they opened several electoral boxes as part of an "investigation for possible anomalies in the results", after the complaint of a citizen, according to the prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche.

The European Parliament said that they will be looking for sanctions against the country for these actions, but also for those responsible for seeking to damage Guatemala's democracy, which was reflected in the electoral process.

‘Death by a thousand cuts’

Is the strategy of the ‘Covenant of the Corrupt’ regime in power - long-time “democratic allie” of US, Canada and “international community”, to prevent President-elect Arevalo and VP-elected Karin Herrera from taking power on January 14, 2023, or to weaken them such that their executive branch powers will be completely curtailed by the time they assume the Presidency.

“Coup plotters must resign”

““The coup plotters must resign,” President-elect Arevalo said, naming officials at centre of efforts targeting ([link removed]) his Movimiento Semilla party: Attorney General Consuelo Porras, special prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, Judge Fredy Orellana.”

US and Canadian governments must support calls by President-elect Bernardo Arevalo for coup plotters to resign

It is impossible to keep up with the breadth of attacks being carried out, daily, by the Guatemalan Covenant of the Corrupt regime, and their allies, on the electoral process and against the Semilla Party – a ‘death by a 100 cuts’ strategy.

The US and Canadian governments, our companies and investors, have a significant measure of responsibility for what is occurring in Guatemala, given the past 69 years of full economic, political and military relations with corrupt, repressive regimes.

Rights Action calls for Americans and Canadians to share this information widely (including media outlets), and to contact your Senators, Members of Congress and Parliamentarian and urge them to publicly support calls by President-elect Bernardo Arevalo for coup plotters to resign: Attorney General Consuelo Porras, special prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, Judge Fredy Orellana.

U.S. Senate: [link removed]

U.S. House: [link removed]

Canadian Parliament: [link removed]

Guatemalans Voted to End 69 Years of Corrupt Rule. Will US, Canada Accept It?
By Grahame Russell, TRUTHOUT, August 21, 2023, Guatemala City
[link removed]

Grahame Russell speaks about Guatemalan elections, and hope for the country long torn by war, exploitation, impunity and injustice.
Radio interview, KGNU community radio, Hemispheres
Listen: [link removed]

More information
Rights Action’s “Guatemala Election Watch” alerts (www.rightsaction.org/emails)
Twitter feeds of Festivales Solidarios (@festivalesgt) & Prensa Comunitaria (@PrensaCommunitar)
Prensa Comunitaria’s daily news ([link removed])

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