Current:Home > MarketsGuatemalan president calls for transition of power to anti-corruption crusader Arévalo -Momentum Wealth Path
Guatemalan president calls for transition of power to anti-corruption crusader Arévalo
Poinbank Exchange View
Date:2025-04-10 11:51:18
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei called Tuesday for a democratic transition of power to anti-corruption campaigner and president-elect Bernardo Arévalo and his Seed Movement party, which have faced waves of legal attacks in attempts to block his rise to power.
The president’s statement came after a night of political chaos in the Central American nation following one of its most tumultuous elections in recent history.
Hours before the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal certified late Monday that Arévalo won this month’s presidential election, another government body — the electoral registry — suspended his party from all political activities. The Seed Movement asked the country’s top electoral authority to lift the suspension.
Arévalo called the suspension illegal at a news conference Monday and said that now the vote has been certified “no one can impede me from taking office on Jan. 14.”
Arévalo and his party, posing a threat to those keen on holding onto power, have faced a slew of legal challenges, allegations of irregularities and assassination plots, according to international observers.
Arévalo already appeared certain to take office as president in January, after easily beating conservative former first lady Sandra Torres in tha runoff. He got 60.9% of the votes, while she had 37.2%.
In a brief message to Guatemalans on Tuesday, Giammattei said he was satisfied for having put all the resources into making the electoral process peaceful. Despite accusations of voter fraud by Torres, the president said there were no “significant” incidents in the voting process.
“Now the doors are open to an orderly, transparent and efficient government transition,” Giammattei said.
Still, the suspension throws into doubt whether Seed Movement lawmakers can take their 23 seats in Congress, and also underscores the uphill battle faced by Arévalo, who campaigned on a progressive and anti-corruption platform.
The Seed Movement requested that the suspension be nullified, basing its request on a June ruling by Guatemala’s constitutional court holding that no political force can be suspended during an electoral period. It will be up to the the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to rule on the party’s standing.
“We’re basically entering really unexplored legal terrain,” said Tiziano Breda, a Central America expert at Italy’s Instituto Affari Internazionali. “But Arévalo’s victory is very hard to overrule. I’m not sure they want to risk great international concern, a diplomatic crisis, or what it could imply socially, the unrest it could provoke.”
He said he expects Arévalo’s opponents to continue trying to hamstring other parts of his administration so as to make it as hard as possible for him to govern.
Torres had appeared to have a clear shot at the presidency earlier this year after various other competitors were eliminated from the race, sparking concerns among some critics about the country’s democracy.
In the first round of voting, the little-known Arévalo emerged from a crowded presidential field as a surprise presidential contender, winning the right to gointo the runoff with Torres, who came to represent the country’s elite at a time that Guatemalans are hungry for change amid discontent over endemic corruption.
His win has been the source of a legal back-and-forth between various governmental entities and courts, some staffed with officials who have been sanctioned by the United States on charges of corruption.
Torres, who hasn’t conceded defeat, has alleged voter fraud. Raids by prosecutors on his party’s headquarters have caused concern in the international community and among Guatemalans. Earlier this week, the Organization of American States’ human rights commission asked that Guatemala provide protection for Arévalo after reports emerged of possible plots to kill him.
Following the election in August, thousands of people spontaneously took to the streets to celebrate his victory in the capital, Guatemala City. Amid attempts to invalidate the vote, smaller peaceful protests have cropped up in front of the Attorney General’s Office, with demonstrators waving blue and white Guatemalan flags to demand respect for the vote.
Breda said the existing establishment has tried hard to overturn the results. “Even if they don’t manage to, this will have an implication of hindering a transition to Arévalo’s presidency,” he said.
___
Janetsky reported from Mexico City.
veryGood! (2596)
Related
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- North West to Release Debut Album Elementary School Dropout
- Maryland Lawmakers Remain Uncommitted to Ending Subsidies for Trash Incineration, Prompting Advocate Concern
- Horoscopes Today, March 10, 2024
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- Appeals court weighs Delaware laws banning certain semiautomatic firearms, large-capacity magazines
- What's next for Minnesota? Vikings QB options after Kirk Cousins signs with Falcons
- Cincinnati Bengals releasing Pro Bowl RB Joe Mixon, will sign Zack Moss, per reports
- Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
- A look at standings, schedule, and brackets ahead of 2024 ACC men's basketball tournament
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- How one dog and her new owner brought kindness into the lives of many
- If Ted Leonsis wants new arena for Wizards, Capitals, he and Va. governor need to study up
- F1 Arcade set to open first U.S. location in Boston; Washington, D.C. to follow
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- The 9 Best Comforter Sets of 2024 That’re Soft, Cozy, and Hotel-Like, According to Reviewers
- Cousins leaves Vikings for big new contract with Falcons in QB’s latest well-timed trip to market
- Lady Gaga defends Dylan Mulvaney against anti-trans hate: 'This kind of hatred is violence'
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
F1 Arcade set to open first U.S. location in Boston; Washington, D.C. to follow
Report: New Jersey and US were not prepared for COVID-19 and state remains so for the next crisis
North West to Release Debut Album Elementary School Dropout
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
Burns, baby, Burns: New York Giants swing trade for Carolina Panthers star Brian Burns
Kirk Cousins leaves Vikings to join Falcons on four-year contract
US, Canada and indigenous groups announce proposal to address cross-border mining pollution