US raises concerns about acts to 'undermine' Guatemala's democracy

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has congratulated Bernardo Arevalo on his election as the next president of Guatemala but expressed concerns about actions that undermine the country’s democracy. The supreme electoral tribunal of Guatemala recently ratified the victory of center-left candidate Arevalo in the presidential election. However, a new attempt to suspend the president-elect’s party has caused confusion.

In a statement released by the U.S. State Department, Blinken highlighted the anti-democratic behavior observed, including efforts by the Public Ministry and other actors to suspend the President-elect’s political party and intimidate election authorities. He emphasized that these actions go against the will of the Guatemalan people and contradict the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

Despite the new bid to suspend the winning Semilla party, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei asserted that an orderly and transparent transition of power was still feasible. He also announced a scheduled meeting with President-elect Arevalo on September 4. Giammattei’s statement aimed to alleviate doubts caused by the citizens registry’s document temporarily suspending Semilla party’s legal registration, which added confusion to the election results.

Bernardo Arevalo, a 64-year-old former diplomat and son of a former president, secured victory in the second-round run-off on August 20 with a majority of more than 58% of the vote. Prior to the election, prosecutors had threatened to bar Semilla from participating, resulting in international outcry.

Reported by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Edited by Chris Reese and Christopher Cushing.