Guatemala’s president-elect, Bernardo Arévalo, highlighted on Wednesday his fight to “rescue democracy” in Guatemala from the hands of “politico-criminal elites,” during a visit to Costa Rica, where he met with President Rodrigo Chaves.
Guatemala “is currently fighting to rescue democracy, its Constitution, the democratic process from the hands of the politico-criminal elites that are violating them at this moment,” Arévalo said at a press conference at the Presidential House in San José.
Arévalo, who is due to take office on January 14, is being “attacked” by the Prosecutor’s Office, said Chaves.
Since Arévalo surprised in the first round of the presidential election in June, Guatemala’s Public Ministry sought to cancel his Semilla party, requested the removal of his immunity, accused the electoral court of anomalies and, in its most recent move, considered the elections “null and void.”
“The government of the Republic of Costa Rica sees with enormous concern, and we strongly condemn, the actions of the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office that undermine democracy in that country, the rule of law, the separation of powers and the peaceful transition of the presidential term,” said the Costa Rican president.
Given the “gravity of these events,” Chaves added, “Costa Rica has expressed its rejection of the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office.”
“I believe, I have faith and I ask God for you to be inaugurated as you should be. That you take office on January 14. And I wish you the greatest success in your government, because the success of your Government will be the success of the Guatemalan people, who so badly need to regain faith and hope in democracy,” expressed the President of Costa Rica.
Arévalo denounced last week that the Prosecutor’s Office actions are “an absurd, ridiculous and perverse coup d’etat” that seeks to prevent him from taking office as president. Guatemala’s Electoral Tribunal reported that the election results “are officialized and unalterable” despite the Public Ministry’s attempts to annul them.
The United States, the European Union, the UN and the OAS have repeatedly criticized the maneuvers of the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office against Arévalo.
During the visit, Arévalo invited Chaves to attend his inauguration.
