Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei stated on Tuesday that the path has been paved for a smooth and transparent transfer of power following the recent presidential election, despite a new attempt to suspend the winning party causing fresh uncertainties.
Giammattei announced that he will meet with President-elect Bernardo Arevalo, who secured victory by promising to tackle corruption, on September 4th.
“The doors are now open towards an orderly, transparent, and, above all, efficient government transition,” Giammattei expressed in a video message shared online.
Giammattei’s statement came in response to a document from the citizens registry, which ordered a temporary suspension of Arevalo’s Semilla party’s legal registration, creating new confusion regarding the election results.
Arevalo, a 64-year-old former diplomat and the son of a former president, emerged as the winner of the second-round run-off on August 20th, garnering over 58% of the vote after Semilla was initially threatened with exclusion from the election, sparking international outcry.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken commented later on Tuesday that the United States is looking forward to collaborating with Arevalo and “will stand firm against attempts to undermine Guatemala’s democracy.”
During a press conference on Monday, the country’s electoral tribunal officially declared Arevalo as the victor, but faced inquiries regarding the new suspension attempt.
Arevalo denounced the suspension as illegal.
The Organization of American States (OAS), which observed the country’s electoral process and deemed the suspension attempt unjustified, will remain involved until Arevalo assumes office on January 14th, as stated by Giammattei.
Reporting by Sofia Menchu, Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Cassandra Garrison and Chris Reese
Credit: The Star : News Feed
