Guatemala's president-elect alleges 'coup' plot to block him from taking power

Guatemala's president-elect Bernardo Arevalo criticised an "ongoing coup" by the institutions of the country on Friday (September 1), which he claimed is aimed at stopping him from taking power after the suspension of his political party.

The 64-year-old president-elect, who is a sociologist, clinched victory in the August 20 election with his promise to crack down on corruption which, as per observers, has left the corrupt elite alarmed.

After ending a campaign filled with concerns of meddling, Arevalo was announced as the winner of the election with 58 per cent of votes on Monday, however, his Semilla (Seed) Movement was suspended by the electoral tribunal.

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"There is a group of corrupt politicians and officials who refuse to accept this result and have launched a plan to break the constitutional order and violate democracy," said Arevalo, at a press conference.

"These actions constitute a coup d'etat that is promoted by the institutions that should guarantee justice in our country,” he added.

Arevalo advanced to the runoff after the first round of elections and saw people, who were tired of the poverty, violence, and corruption, cast their votes.

Electoral tribunal suspends Semilla

After the first round of voting took place on June 25, Guatemalan judge Fredy Orellana accepted prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche's request and asked the electoral tribunal to suspend Semilla on the basis of a pending investigation on the alleged anomalies in the party's registration.

Curruchiche and Orellana are present on the list of "corrupt actors" of the US and their meddling in the elections was slammed by foreign allies. The court at the time said that the election tribunal cannot suspend a party in the middle of an election campaign.

However, the suspension was confirmed after the voting was over. "We are seeing an ongoing coup, in which the justice apparatus is used to violate justice itself, mocking the popular will freely expressed at the polls," Arevalo said.

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After the suspension, the party is not allowed to collect money or issue statements. "They are weakening and denying the resources, authority and legitimacy that the people of Guatemala have legally conferred upon us," Arevalo stated.

Head of the electoral mission to Guatemala for the Organisation of American States (OAS) Eladio Loizaga issued a warning regarding a possible "break in the constitutional order in Guatemala."

Addressing an extraordinary meeting in Washington on Guatemala, Loaiza stated that the mission "considers that the abuse of legal instruments ... continues to cause a high degree of uncertainty in the process and puts the country's democratic stability at risk."

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