U.S. says Guatemala ministry is interfering in election transition of power

The U.S. State Department expressed serious concerns about Guatemala’s Public Ministry attempting to undermine the transition of power to President-elect Bernardo Arevalo, who won by a significant margin in the August election. The ministry, which has a role similar to an attorney general in other countries, conducted a 20-hour raid on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to seize boxes containing tabulations from the general election.

Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the State Department, stated, “The United States is gravely concerned with continued efforts to undermine Guatemala’s peaceful transition of power to President-elect Arevalo.” The U.S. will be implementing visa restrictions on present and past members of Congress, justice officials, and anyone else who undermines democracy, according to the statement.

The government of Guatemala has yet to respond to requests for comment. In response to the accusations, the Public Ministry claimed to always act with objectivity and impartiality to ensure compliance with the law.

President-elect Arevalo, a 64-year-old former diplomat and congressman, is scheduled to assume office in January. He has repeatedly accused prosecutors of orchestrating a “coup d’état” and targeting him and his party, Movimiento Semilla.

“There is no doubt that these actions… lead to the annulment of the electoral result and the destruction of the democratic regime,” Arevalo stated in a public video on Saturday.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva also expressed concerns about the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s actions. In a statement, High Commissioner Volker Türk said, “These events are the latest in a long list of very worrying actions taken in recent weeks, which – taken together – appear designed to undermine the integrity of the electoral process and undermine the rule of law in general.”

(Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Cynthia Osterman)