Thousands of people in Guatemala have taken to the streets to peacefully protest the persecution of the progressive Semilla Party and electoral authorities by the Attorney General and the current government of Alejandro Giammattei. The country is facing a critical moment, as Guatemalans, faced with a subversion of the popular will, are mobilizing to defend their civil, political, and human rights.
Photo Credit: CCDA Guatemala
The Democratic Mandate
On August 20, 2023, Bernardo Arévalo was elected President of Guatemala with 61 percent of the vote. While Arévalo is scheduled to assume office in January 2024, Attorney General, María Consuelo Porras, and the Public Prosecutor's Office have levelled unsubstantiated accusations of electoral fraud and irregularities against Arévalo and the Semilla Party and have ordered raids on electoral offices and the seizure of ballots.
Demand for Justice
Different branches of the Guatemalan State, including the executive, much of the legislature, the Supreme and Constitutional Courts, and the Attorney General’s office - all deeply compromised with organized crime – are using this period to prevent President-elect Arévalo from taking office. These measures include the disbarring of the Semilla party, actions against Guatemala’s Electoral Tribunal, the invention of legal cases and efforts to remove the legal immunity of the president, vice-president elect and congressional representatives from Semilla to try them under dubious charges, such as expressing support in social media for student pro-democracy protests.
Take Action
These weeks leading to the January 14 inauguration are crucial to the future of Guatemala. If President Arévalo is prevented from taking office, it will end the democratic reconstruction so painstakingly built with significant investment from the international community after 36 years of armed conflict.
Join us in calling on Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, to issue a public statement as soon as possible. This statement should assure Guatemalans that Canada will recognize only the president whom they elected on August 20 after January 14, 2024, and encourage other countries to do the same.
Canada and other states must make it very clear to current authorities seeking to undermine the democratic process that after January 14, 2024, they will recognize no other government in Guatemala than that of President Bernardo Arévalo. Refusal to recognize an illegitimate government imposed by those currently seeking to subvert the election results should also include:
Freezing Guatemalan State assets held abroad.
Suspension of all bilateral aid.
Opposing further financial assistance from multilateral lending institutions such as the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
USE THE HASHTAGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
#GuatemalaDecide #FueraGolpistas #NoMasCorrupcion
Did YOU KNOW?
CoDev has five partner organizations working for social justice in Guatemala:
Learn about these courageous organizations and read about CoDev's recent visit to Guatemala by clicking here.