Guatemala’s attorney general asks authorities to act against pro-democracy protests
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala’s attorney general on Monday called for the government to act against largely peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets for weeks demanding her resignation for what they say are clear attempts to undermine their nation’s democracy.
Protests broke out in Guatemala two weeks ago following one of the most tumultuous elections in the country’s recent history. The protests are fueled by accusations that Atty. Gen. Consuelo Porras has tried to prevent President-elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking office in January.
Since emerging as a political contender earlier this year, Arévalo — a progressive outsider challenging the elite who have long controlled the Central American nation — and his Seed Movement party have faced waves of legal attacks. Those only ramped up when he won the country’s elections in August.
Guatemala President-elect Bernardo Arévalo plans to call people into the streets to protest efforts to derail his presidency before he can take office.
The attacks have included raids on electoral facilities and the suspension of Arévalo’s party, effectively handicapping his ability to govern.
Such moves against the incoming leader prompted Indigenous groups and rural-dwellers — long disenfranchised in Guatemalan society — to call for an indefinite strike, which began with 14 blockades of major thoroughfares. Now two weeks into protests, the blockades have since expanded to block more than 80 roads throughout the country.
In a video released Monday morning, Porras described the demonstrations against her as “illegal” and asked for authorities to forcibly clear the blocked roads and allow for the free circulation of people once again.
Guatemala’s highest court rules that prosecutors can suspend President-elect Bernardo Arévalo’s political party, a move questioned by legal experts.
“I want to express my complete disagreement and distaste” of the protests, she said, adding that they “clearly violate the rights of all Guatemalans.”
Demonstrators have largely been peaceful, but her message comes after a handful of incidents over the weekend. People annoyed by the road blockades drove their cars at protesters and were later arrested for causing property damage and endangering the lives of the protesters.
Porras and other prosecutors have been sanctioned by the U.S. government, which withdrew their visas while accusing them of obstructing the anti-corruption fight and undermining democracy in the country.
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